


One love, a thousand memories.

by cryingbcbooks



Category: Shadowhunters, The Mortal Instruments, malec - Fandom
Genre: M/M, Malec, Shadowhunters - Freeform, alec lightwood - Freeform, magnus bane - Freeform, tmi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-06-01 17:25:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6529225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cryingbcbooks/pseuds/cryingbcbooks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of Malec one shots based on AU suggests and word prompts, feel free to message me any ideas lingering in your beautiful brains. :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wounded

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Wounded

The silent anxiety inside Alec’s chest was beginning to grow; Magnus had never failed to call him straight after seeing a client. At first, Alec simply thought the meeting had simply run late, and Magnus would be calling him and letting him know he’ll be back soon. That was over an hour ago. Since then Alec had been back to their apartment to check he wasn’t there and then back to the Institute to warn Jace.

Alec’s hands were shaking more than when he and Magnus had first kissed in front of everyone at the Accords Hall, his heart pounding faster than what it would after a tough training session with Jace. Izzy sat beside him, her hands wrapped in his trying to give him comfort. It wasn’t working. Jace and Clary were trying to devise some sort of plan, but that mostly just lead to them disagreeing. Alec no longer knew what to do. His boyfriend had now failed to answer seventeen of his calls and twenty-seven messages. This was very, very unlike Magnus.

“Something’s wrong,” Alec spoke, rising from his chair and interrupting the bickering of Jace and Clary, it was giving him even more of a headache. “I know it is, I need to get to him. I-” Alec sighed, rubbing his temples and calming his breathing. He felt as though he was going to have a panic attack, and it had been a long time since he last had one of those. “I need to save him,” Despite his desire not to break down, Alec’s voice cracked. He hoped no one had noticed, unfortunately Jace did.

“Hey, Alec, look at me,” Jace spoke and wondered over to his Parabatai, his hands landing softly on Alec’s shouldered and Alec’s tired eyes moved up to look at Jace’s golden orbs. “We’re going to find him, okay, we are. I promise.” Jace placed a hand on Alec’s neck in a comforting manner, and then pulled his brother into a hug. It wasn’t much, but it calmed Alec’s anxiety enough to help him think straight. Jace pulled away, still looking Alec in his dark blue eyes. “Do you know where he is?”

“Yeah, but we have no way of getting to him,” Alec sighed, silently cursing the fact that he allowed Magnus to see a client all the way in San Marino. Alec did try to question why the client couldn’t just get another Warlock – surely there are Warlocks in Italy, was Alec’s argument – but apparently this person wanted the best.

“Well, where?” Jace pushed for answers and although Alec knew them he struggled to find the words. Dozens of scenarios past through his head, Magnus had been ambushed and is currently hanging upside down over a sea of sharks. Or a demon had attacked him, leaving him for dead. Or the client could have ditched so Magnus decided to go for a drink and wound up passed out on the streets of San Marino, with not enough energy to portal himself home. For all Alec knew, Magnus could had simply grown bored of him and found a new man or woman that fit his liking.

The last thought made Alec’s heart ache, his eyes water and sudden jealousy of an unknown subject. But, Magnus would never do that to him, would he? Of course not. But somehow Alec preferred that idea to the one where he was dead, Alec couldn’t live with himself if Magnus was dead. He’d never recover from the heartache. Alec suddenly felt sick, and felt as though the breakfast he forced down that morning would make an extravagant reappearance.

“Alec?” Jace snapped, and Alec found himself once again looking into the eyes of his Parabatai. The one who always seemed to keep him grounded. “Where is Magnus?”

“H-he’s in S-” it was rare for Alec to stutter, but somehow the words just wouldn’t come out. “San Marino.”

“Italy? Why would Magnus be in Italy?” It was Clary’s voice that spoke, but it mostly came out as a muffle to Alec. He looked at her, his vision going blurry and the room began to spin. He stumbled back into the chair, Isabelle catching him on his way down. He heard the worried voices of Jace and Izzy calling his name, but Alec couldn’t respond. In all of his life he had never lost his senses like he had right now. He suddenly understood why the Clave are so against love, it’s because it prevents you from being a good soldier. It affects you in every way that love could.

“Clary, stay with Alec, me and Izzy are going to find him,” Alec’s vision snapped back to normal and Izzy left his side, being replaced by a certain red-head. She whispered comforting words beside him as his eyes trailed Jace and Izzy out of the room. Hoping and praying for his safe return, Alec tried his number again.

No answer.

It took everything in Alec’s power not to throw his phone at the wall, and Clary could see Alec’s frustration.

“Maybe we should try and take your mind off of it,” Alec loved Clary, he truly did. Despite their differences in the past they had both learned to love each other like family. It was during the Dark War that Alec realised he’d do anything to protect her, at first he thought it was simply so he could protect Jace too, but then he realised he loved Clary almost as much as he did Jace and Izzy. However, sometimes her suggestions weren’t the smartest, though he gave her points for trying.

“How?” Alec’s voice seemed deflated, like a balloon that had lost its air.

“Training? You love to train,” Alec gave her a sideways glance. She was right, he did love to train. But when his heart was this heavy he feared he barely had the energy to move off the couch. He shook his head. He saw Clary nod out the corner of his eye. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and then leaned her head of top of her hand. “I know you’re worried. So am I. But we both know Magnus, and we know he’s strong. He’ll come back, Alec.”

“What if the reason he’s not back is because he no longer wants to be?” Alec hated opening up to someone who wasn’t Magnus, but unlike before somehow he couldn’t control what came out of his mouth.

“You know that’s not true. Magnus might leave me, Jace, Iz and Simon behind, but he’d never leave you, Alec. You have to believe that,” Alec did. Of course he did.

“It just seems like a better option rather than him being dead,” Alec spoke and he heard Clary slightly gasp. They were all thinking it, but none of them had said it out loud.

A light suddenly switched on in Alec’s brain, and faster than lightning he jumped out of the chair. Clary followed suit, her reflexes as a Shadowhunter were vastly improving. Without a word to the curious Clary, Alec pulled out his phone. Clary sighed, thinking Alec was just going to try Magnus’ cell again. But Alec stopped at a different contact in his phone. Catarina Loss. He had only spoken to her a few times, but he knew that she would do anything to help Magnus, and helping Magnus meant helping him.

“Alec, is something wrong?” was how Catarina greeted him, not that he minded, he didn’t exactly have time for fancy hello’s.

“It’s Magnus. He went on a job in San Marino and he hasn’t returned. I can’t get a hold of him and I’m really scared for his safety. I was hoping you weren’t busy and you come to the Institute and portal me to him,” Alec said everything in such a rush he hadn’t realised Catarina had popped up beside him. She reached up and wiped a small tear that had escaped Alec’s eye.

“Of course I’ll help you, Alec,” she smiled, though Alec knew it was a pained one. Magnus was her friend too. “There’s only one problem, I can only make portals going to places I’ve been before,” her voice was softer than Alec remembered. It was almost comforting knowing Magnus had someone like her he could always rely on.

“You’ve been there. Before Magnus left he was telling me about a trip that he, you and Ragnor went on years ago. He was so happy to be going back. He wanted me to go with him; I should have gone with him. Why would a client specifically want Magnus all the way in Italy? It doesn’t make sense, I should have been protecting him, I am a Shadowhunter and his boyfriend after all.”

“Alec,” it was Clary who interrupted his ramble. “Where specifically in San Marino?” Alec shrugged helplessly.

“That’s okay, once you get to San Marino, you’ll have to track him from there.” Alec nodded, and presented one of Magnus’s many rings out of his pocket. It had fallen off just before he stepped into the portal, and Alec picked it up ready to give it back to him when he returned.

As Catarina began her magic on the portal, Jace and Izzy burst back into the room, Clary must have called them. Jace walked over to Alec, and said nothing; he only placed his hand in Alec’s and nodded. They were going to do this together. When the portal was drew, Catarina nodded at Alec. His gesture mirrored hers, and Jace and Alec stepped through the portal together and ended up in the beautiful city of San Marino, Catarina by their side.

****

“Alec, focus,” Jace’ voice was so sharp it almost cut through all of Alec’s thoughts. Almost. Their hands were intertwined in a way that two Parabatai would track another person, the Warlocks ring lay rested in the palm of Alec’s fist. Alec nodded and closed his eyes, he tried to put all his thoughts into tracking Magnus, trying to find him, hoping he was okay. “I got it,” Jace spoke and Alec opened his eyes.

“Let’s go,” Catarina said and Jace led the way, somehow suddenly knowing where he was going. Alec had to jog to catch up with the other two who left him behind. His mind was a mess, he wasn’t thinking about where he was going and almost bumped into another man. “Sorry, sorry,” Alec spoke to the man, but quickly realised he wouldn’t speak English. Alec racked his brain for the Italian word for sorry but somehow he couldn’t find it. He could almost hear Hodge Starkweather cursing him for forgetting all he had taught him.

“Alec,” Jace called, and Alec smiled to the man quickly and took off in the direction of Jace’s voice. He quickly caught up and Jace continued a fast walk towards the direction he believed Magnus was.

“Jace,” Alec spoke. He didn’t stop. Alec went to call him again when his phone began to buzz. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket, hoping Magnus’ name would pop up on the screen. It was Izzy. Disappointment surged through his blood, letting out a small sigh. He answered the phone and still tried to keep up with Jace. “Izzy,” Alec spoke.

“Alec, you need to come home. It’s Magnus. We need Catarina, now,” was all she spoke. Alec stopped dead in his tracks, he felt his breathing become heavier. He tried to question Izzy more but she had hung up the phone. It was Catarina who noticed Alec stopped and wondered back over to him. Jace also stopped to look back at them, but stayed ahead.

“Alec?” She spoke, her voice was like an angels, which was a big irony. She placed a hand on his shoulder but Alec couldn’t calm his breathing. He usually knew how to stop himself from having a panic attack, but Izzy sounded worried. There was something wrong. Alec knew it, and Izzy hadn’t bothered to tell him Magnus was okay, she would have if he was. When Jace realised something was wrong, he came back over to them. Alec handed Jace his phone, and almost from instinct Jace called Izzy. That was usually the case when Alec couldn’t breathe, Jace knew he would need his sister.

“We need to go back,” Jace said, and without anymore explanation Catarina drew the portal back to the Institute. Alec had collapsed to the ground, trying his hardest to breathe. Each time he took in a breath it caught before he could finish, almost like he was drowning. He begged his body for air but somehow he couldn’t catch it. His thoughts were running around at the same pace as his heart that ached for Magnus and his touch. It ached for him to okay.

Alec felt Jace place his arms around him and heave him up from the floor. Alec’s vision was blurry and he weren’t sure what was happening. He only went with Jace because he trusted him. He was his Parabatai after all. The three of them stepped back through the portal, and Izzy was waiting on the other side. She was hunched over a lanky figure and Alec was convinced his eyes were deceiving him.

“M-Magnus?” He stumbled out of Jace’s grip and towards Izzy. As soon as it was confirmed that Magnus was lying on the bed in the infirmary, Alec’s vision cleared. His breathing started to stable itself and Alec reached for Magnus’ hand. He had been craving his touch because Magnus’ touch could somehow always help calm Alec down, it was like a drug.

“Alexander,” Magnus breathed out but his voice was weak. Alec slightly nodded and a small tear escaped his eye, leaning down he pressed his forehead to Magnus’ and whispered that it was going to be okay. Magnus reached one weak hand to touch Alec’s cheek, his hands wet with blood now covered Alec’s cheek. Alec pulled away, looking down to wear Izzy was attempting to tend to his wounds.

Alec had seen plenty of wounds before, most of which he had bandaged up himself. He had even seen Magnus bleed plenty of times, because he and magic didn’t always see eye to eye. But, this. This wound that covered the whole of Magnus stomach made Alec feel nauseas. His heart stopped in his chest. It was Jace once again who pulled Alec out the way of Magnus, and Alec waited till the last second before letting go of his hand. Jace had to force Alec out of the room Magnus was in to allow Catarina to help him.

“Jace, you have to let me see him!” Alec protested, struggling so much that Jace could barely contain him. Alec may have been taller than Jace but Jace appeared to be a lot stronger.

“Alec, you’re only hindering the situation, Catarina will sort it. She knows what she’s doing?” Alec could only nod his head and collapsed into Jace. Jace held his Parabatai as they both sank to the floor. Alec rested his head on Jace’s shoulder and Jace held the hand of his brother, and waited. Waited until Catarina was finished, and Magnus was recovering. They waited for what seemed like forever to Alec.

****

The silence was slowly beginning to eat at Alec. The noise in the other room had stopped leaking through the walls a couple of hours ago. He and Jace hadn’t moved. Alec appreciated the fact that Jace stayed with him for support, Alec wasn’t even sure he’d be able to stand up on his own right now, his body felt so weak.

Both he and Magnus never slept much last night, he had to be in San Marino for nine in the morning, meaning he had to portal himself there at three a.m. New York time. Before that they had spent the night packing for Magnus’ one day trip – he needed too many things for one day – and sipping coffee whilst one of Magnus’ favourite mundane television shows played in the background. Come to think of it, Alec wasn’t sure they had slept at all, as they found themselves engrossed in television with intertwined bodies when Magnus’ alarm had gone off on his phone.

It was only twenty-two hours before and yet everything was so different. A whole hadn’t even passed and yet Magnus’ life was hanging in the balance of a Warlock and a Shadowhunter, and Alec didn’t even have the strength to be beside him. Jace had dragged him out, but as soon as Magnus was out of sight, Alec felt his body go limp; he could barely hold himself up.

The doors to the infirmary opened gently, whoever it was knew that Jace and Alec were sitting the other side. It was nearing half one at night, and Jace had somehow fallen asleep on Alec’s shoulder.

“Alec, he’s okay. He fell unconscious during the procedure and is yet to wake. But, he will wake. Magnus will make a full recovery,” Catarina’s voice was soft like a purr, and her hand fell to rest gently on Alec’s shoulder. She smiled at him a very tired smile, and Alec knew she wasn’t lying to try and comfort him. Magnus would be okay. He half-heartedly smiled back. He felt pressure lift from his heart.

Magnus was alive.

He was okay.

Alec had to keep reminding himself because he felt that if he didn’t, Magnus would fall back onto his deathbed with no way of being saved.

Alec shook Jace awake gently, and together they walked back into the infirmary. Isabelle looked tired, happy but tired. She walked over to Alec and hugged him, comforting him and telling him everything would be okay. He thanked her, over and over until the word seemingly meant nothing at all. Alec felt a hand on his back, and pulling away from Izzy he saw Catarina. He hugged her too, repeating the words again to her. Magnus wouldn’t be alive if Catarina didn’t show.

“If you need me, Alec, I’ll always come. Keep an eye on him and keep him out of trouble,” Alec nodded, letting out a laugh that sounded more like air coming out of his nose. “Call me when he wakes, or if there’s any problems. I’ll come straight back,” Alec hugged her again.

“Thank you. So much,” She cupped Alec’s cheek with her soft hand, the same way his mother used to when he was a child. Then within seconds she was gone.

Alec ran quickly to his boyfriends’ side, taking Magnus’ hand in his own and whispering his name. He could have sworn he saw him move, but then he could have just been imagining it. Almost defeated, Alec let his forehead rest on Magnus’, trying desperately not to let tears fall. He had come this far. Catarina and Izzy both said he was going to wake up, so why did Alec feel so defeated now? Alec felt a hand on his back, but he didn’t move. He wanted to stay and hold Magnus until he woke up, even if it meant waiting days.

“Can I-,” Alec spoke, then stopped. He looked up to notice Jace and Izzy both staring at him with great interest. “Do you think I could take him to my room? He’d hate to wake up in an infirmary,” It was ever so slight, but Izzy nodded. Temporarily, Alec let go on Magnus hand and tucked his arms underneath him. Alec picked him up bridal style, his head fell sloppily onto Alec’s shoulder. Without another look at the blood-stained bed sheets on the infirmary bed, he carried Magnus up the stairs to his room.

Placing Magnus carefully down onto his bed and bringing the sheets up to cover him – he felt a little cold – Alec lay down on the opposite side of the bed. He took Magnus’ hand back in his own and lay facing him on his side. He weren’t sure how long he lay like that for, watching his unconscious boyfriend microscopic movements, the way he eye lashes would flutter every now and again. Each time they did, Alec’s heart fluttered too, hoping it would be Magnus regaining consciousness.

“I love you,” Alec spoke, squeezing on his hand and closing his eyes slowly. He wanted to be awake when Magnus woke but the exhaustion was overwhelming. He thought for a moment Magnus’ squeezed his hand back, but once again Alec thought he imagined it. Drifting slowly into sleep, he couldn’t help but think about how lucky he was, he had almost lost him. From that moment Alec swore to protect him always, like a good boyfriend should.

“I love you too, Alexander,” Magnus spoke just as Alec drifted off, knowing his boyfriend never heard him.


	2. Insecure Magnus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Insecure!Magnus
> 
> I weren't sure how to interpret this, so I kind of went for shy, insecure Magnus and confident Alec, I hope no one is disappointed!
> 
> Feel free to send me any prompts or AU suggestions! I'd be happy to take on your ideas :)

It was almost painful for Magnus to get ready that evening, he hated nothing more than clubs and people and would much rather stay home with a book and his bed. However, it was Raphaels’ twenty first birthday and he had practically begged him to go to Pandemonium, the local club that everyone in New York practically craved to go to. Everyone except Magnus, that is.

He got changed into a plain black shirt and dark grey jeans that Catarina had forced him to buy, it was a completely new fashion for him but he obliged only to make her happy. He didn't like the way it fit, they were too tight showing off his small biceps and slightly chaffing his crotch area, but Catarina insisted he looked great. He had washed his face, without really being able to do much else with it, especially the small red spot that was getting bigger with every second. His black hair fell flat, his overgrown fringe falling into his eyes. Raphael would suggest he used gel to spike it up, but that was way too much effort that Magnus didn't care enough to put in.

It was creeping up to 8 o'clock when he was greeted in his friend’s house, being the first to arrive with his constant eager to be early to being early. Raphael handed him a beer, and Magnus took it, only taking small sips. He'd secretly wished he'd be able to get out of going tonight, but he had no such luck. 

Before he knew it he was being dragged into New York’s city centre, the streets lit up with billboard advertisements and headlights on taxi cabs. Catarina, Ragnor and Raphael were all hyped from the alcohol, and Magnus made it seem like he drank at the same pace, but really he had had significantly less alcohol than all of them. It was a substance he never really cared for.

They joined the back of the queue to Pandemonium, Magnus tried to look in front of him to see the length and caught eyes with a tall man - almost as tall as him - with the most intoxicating blue eyes that he had ever seen. Even in the dim lighting and the distance from this man he eyes seemed to shine brighter than the moon, made even more evident against his black hair. He was gorgeous, to say the least, and Magnus had to quickly tear his eyes away before he reached creepy level of staring. He thought, just maybe, that a small smile creeped its way onto the pretty boys face, but Magnus convinced himself that he was just imagining, because why would someone like him be interesting in someone like Magnus?

Magnus felt Raphael push him from behind, and after stumbling awkwardly and struggling to stay on his feet he realised the line was moving and they were closer to the doors. Magnus looked back to where the boy was standing but he was gone, he must have gone inside. The line slowly moved as security checked everyone’s ID – Raphael’s twice because he looked about fifteen – and soon they were surrounded by sweaty bodies, spilt alcohol, long flicking hair and a lot of people. Magnus could barely breathe, the smell of alcohol and drugs intoxicating his lungs leaving him gasping for clean air.  
Catarina managed to drag Magnus over to a quieter part of the club, the side of the bar that most people tended to avoid for some odd reason. She asked him if he was okay, she knew how Magnus could get in these kinds of situations. He nodded, taking a deep breath. It was when he looked up that he realised Catarina had gone, and the tall, blue eyed boy from the line was slowly making his way over. Why? What would he want with Magnus? 

“Hey,” blue eyes spoke, his voice raspy with alcohol. He pulled up a seat next to Magnus. Magnus had to swallow the lump in his throat, he was starting to believe that this was a really bad idea, Magnus scanned the crowd for his friends but failed to see any. “Would you like some company?” The boy wasn’t nervous like Magnus, or at least he wasn’t showing it. Almost subconsciously, Magnus nodded, still not being able to look directly at the boys eyes, knowing full well he’ll get lost in those blue orbs and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to find his way back to reality. “I’m Alec, by the way,” he held his hand out for Magnus to shake it.

“Magnus,” he said, timidly, and as soon as he officially gave up looking for his friends he turned his attention back to Alec, taking his hand and shaking it delicately. Magnus’ heart began to beat heavily in his chest as his clammy hands connected with Alec’s, whose –thankfully – were just as sweaty and horrible as his.

“You don’t come here often, do you?” Magnus shook his head as Alec let out a small, nonchalant laugh. “I can tell, you seem...” Alec searched for the right word. “Nervous,” he concluded.

“It’s really not my scene,” Magnus could now look in Alec’s direction, but making and keeping eye contact seemed way too awkward, and every time this beautiful boy looked at him his heart sped up at an uncountable rate. “No offense, but why are you talking to me? Of all people?” Magnus felt his heart skip a beat when he asked the question, but Alec never look abashed or taken aback, he remained his calm and collected self; he even smiled.

“Because, Magnus, you’re intriguing. I think you’re beautiful, and I happen to like beautiful things,” his voice was smooth, the words rolling off his tongue as though he never had to think about them. Magnus always had to think about them; otherwise he’d probably say the wrong thing and make himself look like a douche.

“Me?” Magnus struggled to wrap his head around the fact that anyone would find him beautiful? He was just plain, simple, boring. Certainly not intriguing, Magnus had never heard such adjective describe him before. Not even a novelist would describe him as intriguing.

“Yes, you,” Alec spoke, pulling his chair closer to Magnus’, their knees accidently touching. At least Magnus thought it was accidental, not that he found himself minding so much. “Who on Earth ever made you think otherwise?” Alec spoke, looking at Magnus with a kind of interest that no one ever had before. He could get used to this, he thought. But, somewhere in the back of his mind he couldn’t’ help but think this was all one, big joke.


	3. "Well, now you've met my parents."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Magnus meeting Alec's parents for the first time.

“Magnus, come on. How long does it take to try on an outfit?” Magnus didn’t necessarily need a new outfit, he never really needed anything he bought, yet he did it anyway. Alec impatiently waited for him to finish so they could go out for the coffee Magnus had promised him. Right now, his lips were craving the hot liquid, something to help wake him from last nights workload.

“One second,” he spoke, and literally moments later, the curtain flew open, revealing Magnus’ new snazzy outfit. Alec had never really cared much for fashion, but Magnus lived and breathed it; it amazed him sometimes how completely different they were and yet so captivated by each other. “Thoughts?” Alec nodded, smiling at Magnus but not giving a real answer, he knew he would buy it regardless of his thoughts. “Alec, you could at least pretend to be interested,” Magnus spoke, closing the curtain with one flamboyant motion.]

“It looks gorgeous babe,” Alec joked, the word ‘babe’ making him cringe even as he said it. He heard Magnus make a noise that sounded remarkably similar to the sound of a cat choking and Alec rolled his eyes.

Magnus refused to talk to him upon exiting the changing rooms, and even after paying and leaving the shop he voice failed to make noise, despite Alec’s best attempts to make conversation. Alec apologised thirteen times before Magnus finally burst into laughter in the middle of New York City, gaining the attention of everyone around them. Alec hated nothing more than having people stare at him.

“What’s so funny?” Alec demanded once Magnus had calmed down enough to speak and most people started moving on, barely giving them a second glance. He smacked Magnus lightly on the shoulder whilst asking the question.

“Your face,” Magnus finally replied when they arrived at their favourite coffee shop, it was where they went on their first date. He and Magnus hadn’t been together long, and were still in the early stages of their relationship – the stage his sister, Izzy, would call the “honeymoon stage”. However, they mutually agreed on their favourite place to go, either just to talk, or to sit a revise for their upcoming exams for hours on end.

The coffee shop sat on a corner of a New York street, though most people tended to overlook it, probably because it wasn’t a Starbucks or a Costa, it didn’t have any chain at all, it was just a single shop in a busy street. Alec and Magnus had never been there until their first date. They took a seat at their usual table, the inside looked and felt like the inside of an old book shop, however the smell of coffee and cake rather than paper. It was quite old fashioned, something that attracted the two boys right away. There was a small stand in the corner piled high with second hand books they allowed you to take without paying, though Alec always left a donation. Overall, it was Alec’s dream place in a single shop, and having Magnus there made it so much better.

“Alright, drop it,” Alec spoke with a smile, and Magnus almost started laughing again, but somehow managed to contain it.

“You’re so easy to wind up, Alexander,” Alec loved the way his full name rolled of Magnus’ tongue so easy. He used to despise it, it used to remind him of his parents and the way they would use his name against him when they were disappointed in him, something that used to happen a lot. But somehow, he had learnt to love the way Magnus spoke his name with such passion and sincerity.

Alec ignored this comment, and got up to go and get their drinks, without even having to ask Magnus what he wanted. The beauty of being in the “honeymoon stage”, Alec thought. He made his way over to the counter, rehearsing the order in his head.

“Back again?” The barista asked, her hair hung loosely in a braid to the side, her smile was always bright, the kind you could only wear for so many hours. Alec always wondered how people in retail and hospitality could smile and wave for so long, he could barely keep it up for an hour when he knew he didn’t want to be somewhere – family dinners had always been a disaster.

“Sick of seeing us?” Alec asked, and naturally the girl shook her head. It was a gesture that had been rehearsed over and over, but that’s what happens in a small cafe, the customers are always regular.

“I’d ask if you wanted the regular, but I can never remember your boyfriends order,” she giggled, and Alec smirked too. Magnus did have a ridiculous order, but he says they always make perfect, better than bigger chains.

"Medium, three shots of vanilla, two shots of hazelnut, soy, extra hot, no foam, whip cream and cinnamon sprinkles latte, please,” Alec paused to take a dramatic breath, making the girl giggle. “And just a black coffee,” she nodded, promising to bring the order over after Alec had paid, and he returned to his seat.

Magnus reached over to take Alec’s hand in his and for a while they simply looked at each other, being absorbed into the depths of the others orbs, connected only by hands, and small smiled crept onto their faces. They said nothing, yet they communicated a thousand words in those short seconds. They were in love, and it was only recently Alec knew exactly what it was. Alec couldn’t help himself when he leaned over the table to give Magnus small peck, he was like a magnet drawing him in, and after all opposites attract. Magnus turned the peck into a short, chaste kiss.

“Alec?” That was the only reason it was short. At the sound of his mother’s voice, Alec sprung back into his seat, he had done nothing wrong in his eyes, but something terrible in hers. “What in the world is this?” Alec only glanced at her for a second and saw the disappointment.

“Is dad here?” He asked, and as if on cue his father walked into the small cafe. One of the reasons Alec loved this place was because he thought his parents would never find it, now it had been tainted. Alec weren’t sure if his father had guessed what his mother had witnessed before he entered, or if the face he was pulling was simply because he was always disappointed in his son.

“What is going on here?” His father asked, looking at Magnus, then at Alec, then back at Magnus again, holding his stare for way too long.

“Mom, dad,” Alec spoke, having to take a deep breath afterwards. The barista had interrupted them with their coffee order, relieving Alec for a few more seconds. After she had placed them in front of the two boys, his father’s face now demanded an answer. “This is Magnus,” his voice was beginning to shake. So were his hands. They were no longer connected to Magnus’ and somehow it made him feel completely alone, even though he was sat right next to him. “My boyfriend,” his mother gasped. His father looked the same: disappointed rather than angry. Magnus reached over once again to take Alec’s hand, and the gesture seemed to calm his nerves slightly. Only slightly.

“It’s very nice to meet you,” Magnus spoke, standing up and offering to shake both of their hands. He was left hanging. “I realise this isn’t the best way to find out but-”

“Sit down,” Alec cringed at his fathers ignorance. Magnus did as he was told, slowly sinking into his seat. Usually Magnus was not like this, usually he was confident and outgoing, Alec had never seen him like this before. Maybe it was just the effect of his father. “Alec, we need to talk, when you come home tonight.” The authoritative tone in his voice scared Alec, and Magnus squeezed his hand. Alec felt a sudden rise in confidence, maybe Magnus had that effect on him, or maybe hand holding can do a lot more for the self esteem than originally thought.

“No,” Alec almost choked on the word, but he had said it, and his father looked as though he was going to explode. “I won’t. You can’t talk me into being straight,” Alec felt as though he was walking on eggshells.

“Alec,” Max, his little brother, came pounding out the cafe’s toilets and straight into Alec’s arms. He very rarely saw Max these days as Alec had college, and work, and many other life commitments, but he missed his little brother all the time.

“Hey Max,” Alec said, ruffling his hair and fixing his glasses. Max giggled, and it seemed to take away some of the tension Alec felt from his parents’ stare.

“Who’s that?” Max spoke in what he thought was a whisper but appeared to be a lot louder. Magnus smiled, and Max smiled back.

“My boyfriend, Magnus,” Max climbed down from Alec’s lap and walked over to him.

“Nice to meet you,” Max said holding out his hand. “I’m Max,” Magnus gladly shook his hand, repeating the phrase back to Max. It made Alec smile, because it was the most important thing to him that Max liked who he was dating. Max tiptoed to reach Magnus’ ear, and whispered “Do you make Alec happy?” Magnus looked at Alec, who nodded slightly. Magnus knew the answer, but he felt the need to reassure him.

“I believe I do, yes.”

“Then I approve,” Max spoke, pretending as though it was his decision all along.

“Max, let’s go. Alexander,” Alec cringed. His father paused, searching for the right word. “I’m very-“

“Disappointed in me. I know. I’ll get over it.” Alec finished off for him. He gave Max a big hug before his father left with a shake of the head and nothing else to say. His mother could barely look at him. After they had left, Alec took a sip of his coffee, looking Magnus straight in the eye. “Well, now you’ve met my parents."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the prompt! If anyone has any ideas feel free to send me them! I promise I will get around to all propmpts eventually, however exam season is almost here so I'm dedicating a lot of my time to revising (obvs) but I'll get around to prompts slowly but surely! Thank you!! It means the world!


	4. Chairman Meow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Alec is a vet and Magnus takes his sick cat to get checked out.

The familiar ring of the bell on the door only made Alec more tired as the night shift went on. He never usually worked nights, but the vet’s were desperate and he was the only one available to do the double shift. It had been a quiet night, and long and Alec’s eyes were drooping to a close when he heard the soft call of the receptionist named Nina, followed by a cat’s meow. 

Alec rubbed his tired eyes and stood straight, his last surgery hadn’t gone well and dealing with the owners of the old, golden Labrador had exhausted him more. As the clock ticked onto two a.m. Alec knew he would soon need a rest. However, duty calls and so he left the surgery room to greet the customer.

“Morning,” the customer chirped, his sleek, black hair falling slightly onto his face. Despite the early morning, Alec could see he had made somewhat of an effort simply to come see a vet. In his arms sat a kitten of around two years old, yawning as though he’d been waken up from his deep sleep. Alec felt as though could relate, except that would mean he’d actually had the chance the sleep, which he hadn’t.

“Morning,” Alec mumbled, nodding his head slightly at the tall, slender man. “Who’s this?” Alec spoke, stroking the kitten in the man’s arms, the cat purred softly beneath his touch.

“Chairman Meow.” Alec, unknowingly, pulled a strange face at the sound of the kitten’s name. He repeated the name over and over in his head, but couldn’t quite understand why anyone would ever call a cat Chairman Meow. Alec shrugged it off. “Shall we take a look at him then?” Alec asked, as cheery as he could be at this time in the morning. The man nodded, and Alec lead the way back to the surgery room with the man and Chairman Meow in tow.

“My names Alec,” he spoke, he always preferred to be on first name basis with his customers. Alec gestured for the man to place Chairman Meow on the table in front of him.

“Magnus,” the man replied, as he placed the cat down.

“I was talking to the cat,” Alec spoke, hoping for sarcasm to come through in his tone, but he feared that only tiredness did. Magnus looked abashed, and slightly offended. “I was kidding,” Alec quickly interjected and Magnus let out a small laugh, as though he didn’t get the joke. Alec laughed too, and soon the two were in fits of laughter, neither of them being able to stop. Must be the exhaustion, Alec thought.

“Okay, Chairman Meow, what seems to be the problem?” Alec began primary checks.

“He seems to be struggling to eat,” Magnus spoke, and Alec could hear the worry in his tone. Alec always felt kind of joyous when he could tell the owners cared about their pets. Sometimes Alec had customers who appeared the care about their pet, but it was obvious to Alec they were fed at only a couple of times a week, and were poorly looked after. And some of them wondered why their pets were ill. It was obvious that this wasn’t the case for Magnus, after all who would bring their cat to a vet at two a.m. if they did not truly care?

“How long has he not been eating?” He asked Magnus.

“A few days now, I’ve tried everything but he just simply won’t eat.” It took a while to come to a conclusion but Alec was sure he had one.

“I believe he has Hepatic Lipidosis,” Magnus looked severely confused. Alec expanded. “Otherwise known as fatty liver syndrome, it can be developed through if your cat has anorexia and can be quite fatal. I’ll prescribe the correct medication and to help him eat you could perhaps heat up his food.”

“Thanks, Docto-” Magnus began.

“Please, call me Alec.” Alec handed him a sheet of paper for Chairman Meows medication and told them they could be on their way. He followed them to the door, handing them the medicine and wishing them good night. “You should pop back in soon and I’ll have another look to ensure all is good.” Magnus nodded, smiling a tired smile at Alec.

“Good night, Alec,” Magnus said. Alec smiled, and gave Chairman Meow one last stroke. He looked to Magnus.

“Hey, call me?” Alec winked. Magnus smiled, and nodded, looking down at the medication prescription to see Alec’s number messily written down.

“Definitely.” Alec smiled and turned to go back to his office, Nina didn’t say anything, only winked and went back to typing. It was fair to say that Alec was glad he took the night shift, and he went to his office to put his head to rest for a few minutes, a smile playing on his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this a long time ago but I'm struggling to write and keep posting due to college work! I promise I'll be more active next month once all of my exams are over! Keep sending prompts, I will get round to them soon I promise.


	5. Tally marks AU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "AU in which every time a person falls in love, a red line like a tally mark appears on their wrist/the tally mark turning black if the love is requited/the tally mark becoming a scar if the person they love dies."

Alec couldn’t help but stare at the man across the street, he sat on a park bench in a ragged white suit, and a bouquet of red roses lay sadly next to him. He was facing away from Alec, but his head hung down in a slump. 

“Hey Max,” Alec spoke, his little brother stopped and turned to face him. “Want to go to the park?” Max’s glasses had fallen slightly askew; it seemed to be Alec’s job as an older brother to fix them for him. 

“Okay, but won’t dad be wanting us home?” Alec had just picked Max up from school, and yes they technically should be getting back for dinner, but curiosity always got the better of Alec.

“I’ll let him know we’ll be a little late. You always ask so why not, go have a little fun,” Alec grabbed his little brothers hand and they walked across the road. He took Max’ school bag so he could go and play, and took a seat next to the man in the dirty white suit. “Is it okay if I sit here?” The man nodded slightly. Alec noticed he was staring at his wrist, and on his wrist was a black tally mark slowly turning back to red. Someone he loved no longer loved him back.

“Have you ever been in love?” The man asked, taking Alec by surprise. As a natural instinct, Alec looked at his wrist; it was bare unlike most people his age. Someone by twenty-one had usually been in love once, a high school romance, or a summer love, but Alec hadn’t. He had never known the feeling of love and until today had never desired to know the feeling.

“No,” Alec spoke, a bitter sadness in his voice. He held up his wrist to show to the man and he looked up at him, not his wrist. Alec noticed then his admirable green eyes, with golden specks almost like a cats. They were beautiful, and so was he.

“Some would say you’re a lucky one,” he spoke, a just for a moment a small smile flashed on his lips. “My, my, don’t you have the most gorgeous eyes,” Alec smiled, he had been told that time and time before, usually by family friends, or old women he’s sat next to on the bus, yet somehow it sounded better coming from his lips.

“I’m Alec.”

“Magnus,” he spoke, and once again a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips. It was gone almost as quickly as it came.

“What happened?” Alec asked, referring to the suit and roses. He knew Magnus didn’t have to reply, and in fact was probably stepping over the mark of curiosity at this point.

“People come and go all the time, that’s the cycle. Nobody is permanent,” Alec noticed the way his eyes dropped to his now-red tally mark, he wanted to reach over and tell him everything will be okay. But, this man was a stranger and Alec did not want to seem strange.

“Maybe not."

“No, you’re right,” Magnus looked at Alec again and he held his gaze a little while longer than he did previously. “Maybe some people can be permanent; I’ve just never met anyone who has been.” It was a overwhelming instinctual need that made Alec lean over a place his hand over Magnus’. His muscular hands were unusually large compared Magnus’ soft and dainty hands, it actually made Alec smile, as did the pulse of electricity that ran through him.

“I must go,” Alec spoke, removing his hand. “Would it be possible to see you again?” Alec knew that if he didn’t ask, he’d never see Magnus again and for some deep rooted reason, he didn’t think he could have handled that. Magnus grabbed Alec’s hand a pulled out a pen from his suit pocket, on his palm he wrote a number and told him to call. Alec would.

Alec called Max over, and the two men said their goodbyes. Max never questioned who the man was and Alec was glad for it. Alec and Max walked home, Alec holding his little brothers hand, unbeknownst to the faint red tally mark ready to tattoo itself upon Alec’s wrist. This was the year he was going to fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please send me any prompts, and also let me know what you think!
> 
> I know this is not my best and it's short I'm sorry, I want to keep updating whilst trying to work around college and my job. It's midnight right now and I should be sleeping but I'm writing, the things I do for Malec!


	6. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt - Coffee

There were multiple reasons why Alec could be in a bad mood that day. The first was because it was supposedly the end of his shift but there’s always someone wanting a midnight coffee and in the back of his mind he’s cursing his father for keeping the business open till midnight with a six a.m. start. When his father first told him Alec thought he was crazy, who wants coffee at midnight? Well, a lot of people apparently. Second was because he got stuck covering his brothers night shift so he could go out with his girlfriend and as Alec had no social life he was the only one available. The third is because his college revision sat behind the counter with him, a coffee beside him and the knowledge that he had an exam the next day he was nowhere near prepared for. The fourth was because he had to be awake at six a.m. to head to college and prepare for his exam a little more before it started at nine and it’s nearing half twelve now yet some people still think it’s acceptable to be there, and his father says it’s rude to kick customers out. The fifth was because Jace, his brother, had came home at half eleven and simply winked at Alec before going upstairs to bed. The sixth was because of that damn chime that rings every time the door opens.

Alec’s head shot up from his work to the door, and in walked a man of around his age. Alec has actually seen him around campus, but just like he did with everyone else never bothered to learn his name. He was very tall, taller than Alec which often came as a rarity, his hair spiked with highlights of red in his already dark brown colour, and was that gold glitter underneath his eyes? He was quite beautiful, not that Alec would admit that to anyone other than himself.

“I’m sorry, sir, we’re closed,” Alec spoke, gesturing to the sign on the door that clearly stated they were, in fact, closed. The only indication they were open was the lights and the people. There was only two other people in the small cafe, regulars that Alec served frequently and came in at the same time every night.

“You don’t look very closed,” the man spoke, and immediately Alec wanted to both repeatedly hit him around the face and listen to his angelic voice over and over. He gestured flamboyantly at the existing customers, a small smile playing on his thin lips. His green eyes had a sort of sparkle to them and by the angel, Alec, stop thinking about him like that.

“We- we’re not taking any more o-orders,” Alec stuttered, struggling the find the words. This man was mesmerising and it almost antagonised him. The tall man ambled his way over to the counter, taking a seat on the chairs facing him.

“Are you sure you can’t just do one? I have an exam tomorrow and can’t sleep, I was hoping to revise here,” it struck Alec then where he knew him from, both he and the boy were in the same Classical Civilisation class, Alec sat a few rows behind him at the back. His name was Magnus, he thinks.

“You know,” Alec spoke, a sarcastic tone to his voice, “twenty-four hour coffee shops exist right?” Alec tried not to smile, but somehow it happened to creep onto his face, Magnus’s face mimicked his.

“Yes, but I just happened to know you worked here,” his smile didn’t drop, but Alec’s did. Magnus had come looking for him, but why? His smile may have faltered, but he couldn’t take his eyes of Magnus, like his very presence had some kind of magical hold over Alec. “Thought we could study together?”

“Yeah,” the smile creeped back on Alec’s face. “Sure,” Magnus pulled his class notes out of his bag whilst Alec made him a coffee and topped up his own. “Let me guess,” Alec spoke, turning to face Magnus, “Black with three sugars?” Magnus looked up, pen hanging between his teeth and fingers, and nodded. Alec finished his coffee and placed it in front of him. “Same,” Alec spoke and Magnus smiled.

Alec wasn’t sure how long they sat there and studied for. Sometimes they would talk about it and discuss the work, engaging in various debates and memorising quotes to back up their points, and other times they would fall into silence, drowned in their own notes and their brains working like clockwork. Alec hadn’t noticed when the other two customers had left, he only noticed when he and Magnus were both out of coffee and Alec had to make more. 

The two were interrupted early morning - the sun had begun to rise - by Alec’s father, ready to open the shop at six. Little did he know that it was never technically closed. Alec and Magnus were deep in conversation, speaking the perfect exam answer out loud to each other when they were cut short by Robert Lightwood.

“Alec?” Alec jumped, startled because the sound of his fathers’ voice. Alec looked at Magnus, rolling his eyes and making Magnus smile slightly. “Why are you still awake? Did you sleep at all last night?” 

Alec turned to face his father. He knew lying would be useless. “No, Magnus and I both couldn’t sleep so we decided to help each other prepare for the exam, we were actually going to finish up, go get breakfast and head for college.” His father only nodded, and started clearing up after the customers last night, something Alec should have done. His father knew better than to be angry at Alec on such a vital day of his life and Alec respected his father for staying calm. 

Alec and Magnus quickly packed away their things and Alec quickly ran upstairs to their house above the cafe, it was three stories in total, to change out of his work uniform and into something acceptable for college. When he returned downstairs, Magnus and his father were in deep conversation whilst Magnus help him clear away the mess. Alec’s father noticed his arrival shortly after and practically shoved him and Magnus out the door, wishing them all the best in the exam. 

The two went to get breakfast, their notes spread out any where they could get them, talking through everything they hadn’t got round to last night. Before they knew it, they were standing outside the exam hall with nothing but a couple of pens, a bottle of water and a clean copy of the Iliad all held in one hand. Alec felt sick, but suddenly his nerves seemed to disappear when Magnus smiled at him. Alec smiled back.

Magnus slipped his hand into Alec’s free one and squeezed gently. He ran his thumb gently over Alec’s hand; maybe he senses his nerves, after all his future depended on these exams. The doors to the exam hall opened and Alec and Magnus walked in hand-in-hand until they had to separate at their designated desks. They murmured a ‘good luck’ to each other and sat down at the desks. Alec felt sick, but somehow he felt a lot better than he did last night and couldn’t help it was because of Magnus. If only a cute boy and coffee got him through all his exams, maybe it would.


	7. Cuddles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: cuddles

Alec had been gone on a mission for four days now. The Clave sanctioned a mission to Jace and his Parabatai to investigate mysterious murders happening in South Carolina. Magnus found it difficult to explain to himself why the Institute down there couldn’t handle the situation and found it even harder to explain it to their sons, Max and Rafael. In Alec’s defense, he had tried to get out of it, saying that it was too far to travel and that he had a family now. If it was just Jace he was talking to that would have worked, but just talking and ‘no good excuses’ did not work on the Clave. And so, Magnus was left to look after the kids – something he could obviously handle – and spend so many days with an empty hole in his chest waiting for his lover to return. He now knew how Alec felt when Magnus went on long business trips.

It was nearing the end of the fourth day without Alec, and the kids had begun questioning when he would return, Magnus had no choice to respond with loose promises of ‘soon’, but he could never be sure of when exactly. The kids were bathed and ready for bed, and after twenty minutes of Max begging to watch a movie, Magnus agreed. Twenty minutes into the Pixar’s newest film, Up , - requested by Max and supported by Rafe – Magnus’ phone begun to ring. He reached for it desperately and answered Alec’s video call. Manus quickly paused the movie.  
“Hey, kids,” he spoke softly, smiling into the camera at Alec; his smile was bright and wide back. “Daddy’s calling,” that got Rafe and Max to stop groaning and jumping out their seats and running towards Magnus’ phone. Magnus didn’t think it was possible, but Alec’s grin grew wider at the sight of his boys on the camera.  
“Hey, boys! I hope you aren’t giving Papa too much trouble,” the two boys giggled, Max now sitting on Magnus’ lap and Rafe perched beside him.  
“Oh, they are the worst, Alexander,” both boys turned to look at Magnus with a disgusted look. “Especially this one,” Magnus spoke, exaggerating a finger point in Max’s direction. “Rafe here is an angel.”  
“Half of one actually, but it makes sense that Max is the troublemaker with his heritage and your parenting, it’s a miracle he’s not a dragon yet,” Max giggled, probably only understanding half of what Alec said. Rafe had resulted in just staring at Alec on the screen, his head resting heavy on Magnus’ arm.  
“Daddy,” Max spoke, his voice quiet yet heavy. “When are you coming home?” The question was so innocent it almost hurt Magnus’ heart. He had tried to explain many times but Max asked the question at least three times every day. Magnus watched as Alec’s smile transformed into a tight frown, and the sparkle his eye had previously held had faded. He swallowed what Magnus guessed was a lump in his throat and looked back into the camera as though he was searching Magnus’ damaged soul.  
“I’m not going to lie to you, Blueberry, but I honestly do not know. I’m hoping only a couple more days but it could take longer. It’s unreal how much I miss you all so, so much.” Max was crying on Magnus and he brought him into a hug and wiped away his tears. He wished he could do the same for his boyfriend, whose eyes were threatening to spill.  
“We miss you too,” Rafe had been so quiet and still that Magnus had almost forgotten he was there, but here he was saying the words that both Magnus and Max had failed to say. “I hope you’re back soon, daddy.” It took a while for Rafe to get into the process of calling Alec ‘Dad’ and he still refers to Magnus by his real name most of the time. Rafe called Magnus ‘Papa’ for the first time two days ago, when he was asking where Alec had gone. Magnus had not yet told Alec about the progress Rafael was making, knowing he’d be so gutted knowing he missed such an important milestone.  
“Alec, come on,” Magnus was sure he saw Alec’s heart drop when Jace called him from outside the camera. The Clave were obviously working them hard if they worked all day and were still going. Alec forced a smile when his gaze returned to the camera.  
“Boys, you should probably be off to bed, right?” Alec stopped, turning to respond to Jace but the microphone muffled his voice. “I’ll call tomorrow and I’ll be back as soon as I can,” once again, Alec forced a smile, and Magnus could tell it was killing him to be away from home. “I love you two so, so much,” he blew a kiss to each of the boys. “Good night.” Both boys muffled a goodnight and moodily shuffled their way into their bathroom to begin getting ready for bed. Magnus could hear the bickering about whose toothbrush was whose and decided to let them figure it out.  
“Alec.” Jace was starting to shout now.  
“Jace, please. Five minutes. You’ve had the chance to speak to Clary but I’ve only just had the chance, okay, so please, chill. I’ll be five minutes,” Alec was annoyed, meaning that he and Jace had probably been arguing.  
“Fine,” Jace gave in. “Five minutes, then I’m coming to get you.” Alec rolled his eyes so hard Magnus was sure they were about to fall out. Magnus smiled at him, but only got a half-hearted smile in return.  
“He’s been like that since we got here,” Alec filled in, the exhaustion could be heard in his voice, and the dark circles around his eyes confirmed Magnus’ concern; Alec was working too hard and probably having trouble sleeping on top of that.  
“Have you been sleeping?” Alec took in a deep breath, tearing his gaze away from the camera before shaking his head ever so slightly. “Alexander,” Magnus breathed, but couldn’t find any other words to say. It was rare Magnus was stumped for words.  
“It’s harder when I’m away from you,” Magnus felt his heart flutter at Alec’s honesty. He remembered a time when Alec never spoke about his feelings and saying something slightly flirty made his cheeks scarlet red and burn like the sun. “I don’t even know when I’ll be coming home. By the angel, Magnus, I miss you so, so much,” this time Alec did shed a tear, but he wiped it away almost as quickly as it had fallen.  
“I miss you, too, Alexander. Something’s not right when you’re not here.” Magnus wasn’t quite sure what it was, but something was missing. Maybe it was a part of his heart, maybe it was the fact that everything was colder without Alec, and the world seemed slightly duller than it had before.  
“Maybe it’s the cooking,” Alec joked. “I hope you haven’t poisoned the boys yet,” Alec’s laugh was pure, so pure. Magnus, too, started chuckling to Alec’s pathetic attempt at lightening the mood.  
“ALEC,” it was Jace who cut Alec’s angelic laugh so abruptly short it made Magnus jump. Alec yelled back a response and turned to the camera. For a moment, Magnus thought he was going to sign off without saying goodbye and then shook the stupid thought off when Alec opened his mouth.  
“I love you, goodnight,” Magnus barely had the chance to respond before the call disconnected, and for a full minute Magnus just sat there, stunned. It wasn’t until Max called him that he managed to get up and put the boys to bed, going to bed himself shortly after. It took Magnus a while to fall asleep, his thought on his boyfriend over seven-hundred miles away.

*****

It had almost been a week since Magnus had last spoke to Alec, it was the longest they had gone without seeing or talking to each since they had been together. Magnus was sure it was going to be another long, restless night, knowing Alec was so far away and having trouble sleeping. Sometimes his heart panged with worry that Alec was not coming back, but he felt somewhere in his heart that he was safe and sound.

The loft was silent now that the boys had gone to bed, Magnus had only just finished cleaning up the kitchen mess from the cakes they had tried to make. They didn’t go too well especially because Max had an accidental magic outburst which almost caused the kitchen to set alight. It was then Magnus decided to give the boys a bath and send them to bed. They were both missing Alec immensely, and not hearing from him only made their moaning and groaning worse. They had both tried to call each other, but always seemed to just miss each other.  
Magnus had decided to call in a night, and after checking one last time on the boys took himself to bed, falling asleep within the hour for the first time in almost two weeks. He must have been tired.  
“Hey, Magnus?” Magnus was awoken by the gentle lowering on the bed on one side and the gentle whispers of a familiar voice. A very, very familiar voice. Instantly he jumped up and wrapped is arms around Alec, pulling him down onto the bed with his bags following. He hadn’t even bothered to take them off when he got in. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to wake you, I just couldn’t resist.”  
“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s all fine,” Magnus whispered, placing quick, messy kisses all over Alec’s face. Quickly, Alec pulled away and dumped his bags on the floor, and climbed into bed beside Magnus, his hunting clothes still on. “I have missed you so much,” Alec fell to rest his head on Magnus’ chest, desperate to hear his heart beat in time with his own.  
“I’m sorry for being away so long and not being able to talk more,” Alec muttered into his chest. Magnus rubbed his hand along Alec’s back, the leather of his jacket making it slightly difficult.  
“Alec, my dear, there is nothing you need to apologize for. Now get out of those clothes and come cuddle me properly,” Alec looked up to Magnus, a small grin growing on his face, a look of nothing but love in his eyes. Alec leaned in and met his lips with Magnus’ and all the emotions he had felt whilst missing Alec had been replaced by love and admiration for the man sitting in front of him.  
Alec swiftly took off his hunting clothes and crawled back into bed, wrapping his arms around Magnus’s bare stomach, and resting his cheek on his chest once again. “Are you going to tell me about your Shadowhunter adventures?” Magnus asked, stroking Alec’s jet black messy hair with one hand and holding the other in Alec’s.  
“Tomorrow, right now, just let me hold you. I missed you so much,” and so Magnus did. He let Alec hold him all night until they both fell asleep. Their legs were tangled up in each other, the bodies moved in sync and their hearts beat as one once again


	8. "Get away from me."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "Get away from me"
> 
> An injury Alec acquired during a fight bring he and Magnus back together after having an argument right before Alec marched into battle with demons who had been threatening New York.

“Get away from me,” Alec snapped, bitterness in his tone and tears threatening to spill from is crystal-like blue eyes.  
“What?” He could hear the hurt in Magnus’ voice, but he refused to look at him. For some bizarre reason, Magnus had failed to show the trust he had in his long-term boyfriend, and Alec had never given him a reason why.   
“Please, I need to think,” Alec was beginning to raise his voice, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He was not angry, exactly, but rather hurt. Almost as though Magnus had betrayed their love in a single sentence. “Just go home, I’ll see you in the morning,” and he would. Alec knew for sure he still wanted to be with Magnus, just right now he did not want to be around him.  
“Alexander, don’t do this,” it was then Alec finally managed to meet Magnus’ eyes. Alec wanted to scream at him not to call him that, for a split second he remembered why he never wanted Magnus to call him that in the first place. That moment quickly passed.   
Alec’s phone lit up with a phone call. Simultaneously, the two looked over at it, an instinct of a couple who trusted each other with everything they had. The caller ID read ‘Sam’ and Alec saw Magnus roll his eyes. Alec reached over to end the call, and made a mental note to call him back.  
“We’re just working a mission together, in connection with the Connecticut institute,” Alec explained for what felt like the fiftieth time. Magnus never replied, and silence settled upon their shoulders. It felt awkward for the first time ever. Finally, without another word, Magnus up and left Alec’s room at the Institute. Alec felt a pang of guilt, and desperately wanted to go after him, but knew it was the wrong thing to do.  
He stood, and looked around his room. It was tidy, simply because it hadn’t been slept in for weeks now Alec spent most of his nights in Magnus’ loft. His wardrobe was almost empty, the shelves cleared of any personal items, and books that used to lie there have been taken to Clary’s room to help with her training. The room had almost been stripped of everything ‘Alec’ and it felt wrong for him to even be there.  
Thinking back to his mental note, Alec picked up his phone to call Sam back. Magnus had been jealous of the amount of time Alec and Sam had been spending together due to the mission, but he began to get suspicious when Alec asked for his help, and noticed that Alec and Sam got along like a house on fire. It was later Jace who mentioned to Magnus that Sam had an apparent crush on Alec, and had come out to his family shortly after Alec had to his, and claimed Alec had been his inspiration. Alec, of course, was completely oblivious to this until Magnus bought it up. He would have accepted Magnus’ jealousy of Sam, if he never accused Alec of cheating on Magnus with him.   
Alec had spent the night at the Institute last night, and Magnus came over early this morning and walked into Alec’s room to find his bed un-slept in. However, little to Magnus’ knowledge, Alec had fallen asleep in the library with a book perched on his chest. The argument started a little later on in the day when Magnus returned to find Alec and Sam surrounded by books and tea in the kitchen, and the sense of laughter than hung in the air. Of course, Magnus never accused Alec in front of Sam, but allowed all kinds of colourful words to roll of his tongue as soon as the two were alone. Alec offered plenty of explanation, but Magnus stayed quiet. The argument felt like a weight on Alec’s shoulders, but it was a weight that could not be relieved right now.   
“Sam,” Alec said as a greeting. “Is everything okay?” Alec tried to hide the angst in his voice, but he somehow thinks he failed.  
“Me and Jace think we’ve found the demons hideout. We need to move in like now, Alec. Gather as many people as you can, because I think it’s going to be a messy one,” Sam hung up, leaving a swear word hanging on Alec’s lips. He pocketed his phone, and ran around the Institute to gather Izzy, Clary, Simon, Jocelyn, Luke and his parents. Jace had texted Alec the address to meet them.   
In the weapons room, they prepared for battle. Luke had called the Werewolves and the Vampires, and Lily and Maia had agreed to meet at the location Jace sent. Alec had just finished applying runes to his arrows when Isabelle approached his side.  
“We should call Magnus.”  
“No.” Alec voice was firm. There was no way Magnus would even answer his call right now. Besides, Alec hated bringing Magnus into Shadowhunter business, and Magnus hated being involved. At least at his loft he was safe.  
“We need all the help we can get,” Isabelle protested, but Alec would not give in.   
“We’ll be fine without him. I don’t want him to get hurt,” Even though Alec tried to sound affectionate, he knew he tone was full of anger.  
“You guys have had a fight?”  
“Drop it, Isabelle.” And she did.  
****  
The meet up place was only around the corner from the Institute, which made Alec think the hideout was closer than they imagined. He tried to avoid eye contact with Sam, but he did not want to give up this new found friendship. Hardly anyone spoke, apart from Jace who tried to catch everyone up to speed.   
There had been demon attacks in the streets of New York and Connecticut. The Connecticut Institute reached out to New York for help on the problem, and by doing so caused the issue to spread across states. The demons seemed to take a liking to hurting and killing children, which drew the attention of the NYPD, meaning they had to solve the issue before the cops. Last week, they had discovered the main hideout of the demons over in Connecticut and travelled over there to destroy the problem. However, demons are smarter than they look, and most of the pack had fled to New York, which made the problem bigger in Alec’s hometown. Finally, they had found the demons hideout, hopefully meaning they cannot flee anywhere else. But, Sam was right, this fight would be messy.  
They made their way as a pack to the hideout of the demons. They figured a surprise attack was pointless, so they went in all guns blazing.  
Alec barely had time to take in his surroundings before Jace had drawn out his seraph blade. Alec unconsciously set up his bow and arrow, holding it up ready to fire. Before long, Alec had to abandon his bow and arrow and switch to a seraph blade, whispering the angel’s name to bring it to life. For every demon Alec sent back to hell, it seemed another three appeared. They were tragically outnumbered, and despite his argument with Magnus he longed for nothing more than to be home with him.  
“Alec!” Sam let out an almost defeated screech, and Alec quickly finished off the demons around him to go to his aid. When he looked over, Sam was outnumbered by at least six or seven demons, and he didn’t stand a chance. Not even he or Jace could fight off that many alone. Pulling a back-up dagger out of his boot, he threw it towards a demon surrounding Sam, hitting it in the exact place Alec aimed and sending it back to hell. Alec’s dagger hit the floor. Alec ran over, knocking out another demon heading in his direction and reached Sam in just the right amount of time to help him.   
The two worked together in fighting off the surrounding demons, and before long Sam was free from the inner circle. He patted Alec on the back and let out a huge smile.  
“Thank you, for having my back,” he spoke, out of breath and admiration in his voice. Alec, tired and stressed, was about to reply before spotted an arrow coming straight towards them, ready to pierce Sam in the back.   
“Watch it,” he shouted, pushing Sam out the way of aim and the two fell to the floor. The pain shot straight through Alec, his hands flew to his stomach where the arrow pierced him, blood pouring everywhere.   
“Alec?” He heard Jace’s voice, but it was muffled and unclear. For a moment, he doubted whether he actually heard his voice, but he replied anyway.   
“Jace,” his voice, desperate to be strong and loud, was a quiet whisper he barely heard himself. Before he knew it, he was being dragged to his feet, and helped away from the bloody fight scene. Everything was blurry, and Alec’s head felt heavy. “Jace?” He asked, hoping his parabatai had come to his aid.   
“No, it’s Sam,” Sam placed Alec down in a secluded area away from the fight so he couldn’t get hurt. “Alec, I am so sorry. It’s all my fault, you should never have jumped in front of that arrow, it’s probably poisoned with demon ichor.”  
“Sam,” Alec interrupted. “Where’s my Stele?” Sam fumbled around for a moment before presenting Alec’s stele to him. “Go and get Jace, I need him. Go back to the fight.”  
“I don’t want to leave you here,” Sam spoke, and Alec almost rolled his eyes.   
“That’s an order,” Alec bit, and Sam nodded. He ran back into the fight, leaving Alec behind.  
It took almost all the strength Alec had not to close his eyes and fall asleep, he knew Jace would be most disappointed. He wanted to pull the arrow out to heal himself, but knew that Jace’s healing him would be stronger than anything he could do. After what seemed like forever, Jace found Alec lying behind the rock, bleeding out, and fast.  
“Alec, are you okay?” He spoke, hastily. He checked Alec over for anymore wounds aside from the obvious.  
“What kind of question is that?” They both laughed, despite how painful it was for him. Jace didn’t bother with any more small talk before beginning to heal Alec. He drew a blood replacement rune on Alec’s arm underneath his Courage In Combat that Jace had drew earlier. With only a nod as a warning, Jace removed the arrow from Alec’s stomach. Jace was drawing an Iratze before Alec had finished letting out his scream. The two were used to healing each other during a fight if it was serious but not quite life-threatening. Alec had lost count of the amount of times they had runed each other up whilst others continued the battle.   
“Thanks, buddy,” Alec said, letting out an exasperated sigh. Jace patted him on the back and smiled at him. “We should get back,” Alec spoke, attempting to get up.   
“Woah, Alec, no,” Jace spoke, putting a hand on his shoulder and pushing him back down. “You’re too injured. I’m going to help finish this off,” as much as Alec hated to admit it, Jace was right. “Now, don’t hate me, but I called someone to come and get you,” almost as if on cue, Magnus came into view. Alec wondered how Jace knew about the fight, but then remembered his Parabatai knew him more than he knew himself. Magnus looked frantic, and worried. “Get well soon, buddy. I’ll keep you updated,” Jace, once again, patted Alec on the back before sprinting over to Magnus, then back to the battle.  
Magnus ran in Alec direction, and then dropped to his knees beside him checking him over for injuries like Jace did, once again beyond the obvious. For a while he did not speak, and Alec was in too much pain to even think straight. Blue mist came out of Magnus’ hand as he took Alec’s pain, and Alec’s head fell onto his knees in relief.  
“Let’s get you home, darling,” Magnus spoke, and helped Alec back onto his feet.  
*****  
Alec did not remember exactly how they got back to Magnus’s loft; he was so tired that he was struggling to hold on to his consciousness. He was lying on Magnus’ couch, the fire lit up by magic gave the room a warm slumber, and Magnus had put some mundane television show on the TV, it was their favourite.  
Alec painfully pulled himself into a sitting position when he heard Magnus’ footsteps coming from the kitchen holding two cups of hot chocolate. Alec made it better. Magnus settled himself down on the couch next to Alec, though not nearly as close as the two would normally sit. Nor was he as relaxed as normal. Magnus sat in the position he would usually hold himself standing, his shoulders back and chin up, and he refused to look in Alec’s direction.  
“Magnus, I-” Alec was cut off when Magnus head turned sharply to face him that it made him lose his trail of thought. His warm green eyes had turned cold with ire. “Look, I owe you an apology,” he took and deep breath, and Magnus’ harsh facial features softened into a look of surprise. This was definitely not what he was expecting from Alec’s mouth. “I understand why you were jealous of Sam, but until you pointed it out I swear I did not notice-.”  
“Alexander, stop,” Alec could not even comprehend the relief he felt when his full name fell from Magnus’ tongue. “It’s me who should be apologising; I should not have accused you of doing something so absurd. I knew, at least my heart, you would be loyal, and you are?” Alec could tell Magnus tried to avoid making his last sentence a question, but could not help himself.  
“Yes, of course. I don’t need nor want anyone but you, Magnus. I never have,” Pain shot through Alec’s body as he leaned forward to try and grab Magnus’ hand. Magnus quickly recognised this gesture and moved closer to Alec, their knees touching, and hands entwined. “I love you, Magnus Bane, even if I don’t always say it.”  
“I love you too, Alexander,” Magnus leaned in and pressed a soft, small kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, feeling Alec smile beneath it. It was then Magnus realised he was not used to having an unproblematic relationship so he tried to make it problematic and by doing so almost destroyed their relationship. However, he also realised he did not need to do that, because everything Magnus had ever wanted was right here in front of him. He would never, ever take that for granted again.


	9. On the Road

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus and Alec meet at a motel while travelling in opposite directions of the country.

The trip was long, really long, and sometimes Alec questioned why he even bothered to make it in the first place. For hours he argued with his father about it, begging to take a flight to Washington DC rather drive the whole way on his own, but his father point blank refused to pay for a flight but for some odd reason was giving him enough money to keep his tank filled up. Alec was bordering Philadelphia, it was only a two hour drive from New York to Philly, but the traffic Alec hit on the way made it into a five hour journey. It was just over two hours to go before he hit DC, but he needed rest, and food, now.

Alec pulled up into a rest stop almost as soon as he hit Philly, his fathers’ truck grunting as he switched off the ignition. Why his father could not make the trip, Alec never understood. The truck groaned again when Alec slammed the door closed, and locked up behind him. The meeting he had to attend to was not going to take place until tomorrow afternoon, meaning Alec could rest up the for the night and head out fresh in the morning, make it to his hotel and even freshen up before meeting his fathers’ client.

It was starting to get dark out, and Alec regretted leaving New York as late as he did, if his father allowed him the hour flight, then maybe he wouldn’t be as cranky as he is now. He just needed food, and sleep. Alec entered the reception, the door chiming way too happily for his current mood, and drawing the attention of the receptionist and a very handsome young man towards him. At the sight of the man, Alec almost smiled, and probably would have had it not been for his mood.

“Please tell me you have at least one room available?” Alec questioned once neither of them restarted the conversation they were having beforehand. He walked over to the desk, leaning on it for support and trying to ease his headache – he always got headaches after driving a long distance.

“I’m sorry, sir, I just gave the last one to this young gentleman,” Alec flicked his eyes over to the man, who, for some odd reason, couldn’t help but smirk at him, like he was mocking him for not getting there fast enough. Alec sighed.

“Where’s the closest hotel from here?” He asked the receptionist, not bothering to cover the annoyance or tiredness in his voice. Alec rubbed his temples to try and ease his headache. It was the kind of headache you could physically feel, like when you get up too fast and the thumping in your brain sends you into a dizzy spur; it was that kind of headache. Sometimes, they come so blindingly that it knocks Alec off his feet, other times he can barely breathe and he has to prop himself up on a desk, kind of like now.

“Hey, maybe you should sit down,” the handsome man spoke, and before Alec even knew what was happening he was guiding him over to a sofa in the small lobby, a log fire lit in front of him. “Are you okay?” Alec opened his eyes, and found himself staring into the most gorgeous green eyes he had ever seen, the colour mixed with a brown that captivated its essence.

“I’m fine, I-i,” Alec stuttered, he could barely think straight. “It happens,” he breathed, just as the receptionist bought over a glass of water. Alec nodded a thanks at the man before taking a long sip. Alec put the glass down on the table and stood, holding himself still for a minute for the dizziness to stop. He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Thank you, anyway,” Alec said to both the man and the receptionist and started towards the door. 

“Hey, wait!” The man shouted after him and Alec stopped on his heels and turned to face him. “This may sound crazy, but I can’t let you drive in the state you’re in. The room I have has a double bed which they can turn into two singles, if it’s okay with you, I don’t see anything wrong with sharing the room,” Alec must have been looking at him as though he was crazy because the man got quieter with every word he spoke.

“Thank you, but I don’t know who you are. It’s generous offer, but I have a meeting tomorrow afternoon and being murdered would really not be ideal,” Alec hoped the joke came through in his tone, and judging by the man’s face, it did.

“I promise you, I’m not an axe murderer,” the man spoke, a smile tugging on his lips mirroring Alec’s facial expression. 

“You could be a knife murderer, or a gun murderer. Axe murderers are not very common these days.”

“Magnus,” he spoke. 

“Alec, nice to meet you,” they shook hands, and Alec felt his heart beat speed up at the touch. “If you wouldn’t mind, sharing a room sounds great, I’ve been driving for a long time.”

“Of course.” The two consulted with the receptionist, who gave Magnus a refund for half the room and allowed Alec to pay the other half. Whilst that was being done, their room was being changed from one bed to two. Magnus went straight to the room once it was done, and Alec went to get his bag from the car before following him in.

The room was quite small, what you’d expect from a motel just off the highway. Magnus was in the small en-suite bathroom when Alec walked in a put his things down on the bed. Alec had decided to get them both a burger from the truck outside, kind of like a thanks, but also because he was extremely hungry. 

“Magnus? I got you a burger from the truck, just to say thanks,” Alec trailed off as Magnus emerged from the bathroom, still as beautiful as ever. 

“You didn’t have to, but thank you.” Alec passed his over and settled on the bed to eat his own. “So,” Magnus spoke, halfway through his food. “You said you had a meeting tomorrow, mind if I ask where you’re heading and what for?” Alec shook his head in answer and swallowed the piece of burger he had in his mouth. 

“Heading to the capital, my father chose me to be the representative for his business,” Alec rolled his eyes. “Wants me to take over the business soon.”

“I’m guessing you don’t want to?” Alec shook his head. “What do you want to do?”

“Honestly, I wish I knew. I went to college and graduated a couple of years ago with a history and war strategies degree. I wanted to study the art of war, become a soldier or commander, to make a difference, you know?” Magnus nodded his head, like he knew exactly how Alec felt. “But, it didn’t happen that way. I came out of college with a degree and straight back home. I was in debt, with no idea of how I was going to get where I wanted, so my father offered me a part time job in his business until I figured things out, it would pay my debt and stabilise me. Then, last year I went out for the army, and I didn’t realise how brutal it was. I failed my theory test three times, no matter how much I studied, and my practical test twice. For a guy who has never failed a test it was an eye opener. I gave up, thought maybe war wasn’t for me, a relief to my parents and my siblings. But, now I’m left with a job I hate, with a degree that means nothing and no idea what to do and rambling to some random guy in a motel in Philly. I’m sorry, what about you? Where are you heading?”

“Before I answer your question I’m going to give you some advice. I know what it’s like living under the pressure of your family, but you should go and discover who are, what you want to be, especially before taking on your fathers’ business. It’s never too late to become the person you want to be, or to discover that person.” Alec nodded, a smile on his lips. No one had ever told him he could be his own person before. “And home. New York. I’ve travelled the world over the past year, I’m just finishing my States trip before settling back into work.

“Wait, you live in New York?” Magnus nodded. “Me too, small world,” he said with admiration. 

“Truly.”

*****

The two had fallen asleep talking to each other, and when Alec’s alarm woke him up with a fright, he thanked the angels that he had remembered to set it before. Alec apologised for waking Magnus too, though it was not too early in the morning. They decided to get ready and go for breakfast together before departing their ways, and found themselves a small cafe next door to the motel who was happy to serve them. 

“So, what part of New York are you from?” Alec asked over a plate full on pancakes and a steaming black coffee. Magnus had gone extra on his breakfast, having pancakes with every topping they had and a very complicated coffee that Alec could not even remember the name.

“Brooklyn, I moved there for my job. You?”

“Manhattan, my father owns its biggest law firm, but I’ve always preferred Brooklyn.”

“Where did you study?” It took Alec a lot of strength not to roll his eyes.

“I hate when people ask me this question because of the look I get whenever I say the answer. It’s a mixture of proud and ‘wow, you’re a private school boy and your daddy’s rich’,” Magnus raised his eyebrows for Alec to continue. “Yale. I applied for Harvard too, but dad wanted Yale because that’s where he went.”

“You do a lot to make him proud, and I’m not going to judge where you went to college, Alexander.”

“No one, other than my father has called me that for a long time,” Alec spoke, a sudden wave of sadness washing over him. His father only ever called him that when he was disappointed with him, and currently, that is all the time.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“No, no. I like it coming from you,” they both smiled at each other again, a look they keep giving each other. “I should probably hit the road,” Alec spoke, standing up from his chair and leaving a tip on the table for the waitress. “Thank you, again, for what you did, letting me stay. Not many people would have done that.”

“Hey, well I couldn’t let a pretty boy like you go so easily.” Alec blushed at Magnus’ compliment but hoped he didn’t see. Magnus grabbed a pen from his bag and hastily scribbled something down on a napkin, handing it to Alec. “Call me, and maybe when you get home from your trip, we could go for drinks.”

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.” They both nodded to each other, and Alec left the cafe and headed towards his car. He turned to face Magnus to find him looking at him too, and waved goodbye before heading to Washington. Alec wanted nothing more than to stay with the man a little bit longer, but as soon as this meeting is over with the sooner he can get home to see him again. And, as for his fathers’ business, Alec did not think it was his idea of a future.


	10. Hidden secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebrity AU where Alec is from a family of celebrities and unbeknownst to the world is dating Magnus Bane, a regular boy. A picture of the two comes out and Alec's parents are not happy about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to apologize for how long it has taken me to update but I am currently working on three prompts as well as trying to juggle uni exams. This is the first of three prompts and now that exams are over I can hopefully update the other too soon. Enjoy and sorry it's so long, I had so many ideas for this!

Alec sometimes felt overwhelmed with fame that it hurt his head every time he thought about it. All he ever wanted in life was something normal, away from the fame and the fans, the paparazzi, the interviews, the rumours. Alec was born into fame, his parents were big 80’s stars before they had him and his siblings, and their fame continued after that too, eventually passing it down to their children. 

Alec never minded all that much, fame had its perks of course like VIP access into the biggest parties in Hollywood, and movie premier tickets and the red carpet could be fun at times too. Alec just wished he could do it all with the person he loved the most; his boyfriend. Alec rolled over in bed to see Magnus sound asleep, the slight rise of his chest the only sign that his boyfriend was still breathing.

Alec had, however, tried his best to keep Magnus out of the centre of the lime light, for a couple of reasons. The first is that, despite how much Alec wanted to share his life with Magnus, he also enjoyed the normality of life when he was with him, living the way a mundane would. The second is that if Magnus was in spotlight with Alec, it would also mean that he would be in the public eye, which means his parents too. Alec had not yet told his extremely opinionated parents about his sexuality for fear of how they’d react. He knew it would not go well, but he did plan to tell them within the next couple of days. Alec had been away in London for a film for the past few months, a trip that Magnus decided to take with him, and his family were coming to visit him for his birthday. He’d tell them then, at least that’s what he’d be telling himself for the past two weeks.

The sound of their alarm went off and Alec closed his eyes to make himself appear asleep as he heard Magnus stir, shuffle around and finally turn the alarm off. Magnus had always been a morning person, whereas Alec was more of a night owl. It had been a strange occurrence to have Alec awake before their alarm, but as soon as it went off he suddenly felt tired again.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Magnus whispered into Alec’s ear. Alec groaned in return, turning his head away from Magnus, a smirk playing on his lips as he buried his head into the pillow.

“Five more minutes,” Magnus sat up and started massaging Alec’s bare shoulders. “Okay, ten more minutes.” Alec’s voice was muffled from the pillow, but he hoped Magnus had managed to make the translation.

“Oh no, you have an interview with Wake Me Up at ten, remember?” Alec sighed, turning round and sitting up to face his boyfriend. He was referring to a breakfast show that Alec was asked to do an interview for his new movie. He leaned in, placing a peck on Magnus’ lips. It was time to tell Magnus what had kept him awake this morning, and most of last night. “Darling, did you not get much sleep last night?” Magnus asked, stroking a thumb over Alec’s eyes, his lack of sleep was probably paraded all over his face. Alec brushed off the question.

“Can I asked you something?” Magnus nodded, a look of worry on his face from Alec’s lack of sleep. “We’ve been talking about this for a while. I know you hate being in the shadows and you want me to announce us publicly.” Magnus stayed quiet throughout Alec’s speech. “I want that, too. Of course, my family have to know first. As you know, my birthday is tomorrow, and for the first time in a good few years all my family are coming to London to celebrate with me because they knew I couldn’t get back to America because of the film.” Again, Magnus stayed quiet, which was unusually uncharacteristic of him. “I want you to come to dinner with me, with us, so I can introduce you, properly.”

“Of course,” he spoke without any hesitation. “If that’s what you want, Alexander.” A smile grew on Alec’s face so wide that he stretched from ear to ear.

“How did I get so lucky to have you?” He spoke, pulling Magnus down onto the bed so Alec was on top of him. Again, he pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, a smile forcing them to separate. 

“I’m the lucky one, not many people can say they are dating the Alexander Lightwood.” Alec took a moment to take in the beauty of his boyfriend, the way his green eyes danced with sunlight creeping in through the curtains, his hair in need of a trim messy and falling in front of his eyes. Alec loved Magnus in every way, but right now, before he had done his hair and make-up, his eyes slightly tired from sleep, Alec loved him the most. Because this was the Magnus nobody got to see aside from him.

“Come on,” Alec spoke, getting up from the bed and beginning to get dressed. “You’re coming with me.” This time, it was Magnus’ turn to groan and Alec laughed. Magnus had often come to interviews and film sets with him; as far as anyone is concerned they are just friends. There have been times on social media where Alec and Magnus had been the talk of the week, but Magnus assured Alec it was fine to brush off the story and deny it whilst he was uncomfortable coming out to the world.

“I can’t believe you just cut that short,” Magnus moaned, rolling out of bed and coming up behind Alec hug him, placing kisses down his bare back. “That’s cruel,” he said between kisses. Alec turned to face Magnus, embracing him and just holding him. He loved moments like this, simply because they were so mundane and normal, it was something Alec never thought he’d get.

Eventually, they both got dressed and were picked up by a car that took them to the studio, where Alec was greeted by his hosts, some make-up artists, wardrobe and the director. He was fed various pieces of information that meant mostly nothing to him. Every now and again he’d look over to Magnus to see if he was getting any of it either, and the look on his face said he was not. His hosts were new to the show, some woman called Leslie and a man called Owen, he did not catch their last names. Alec had never really understood interviews, it was just a bunch of celebrities talking to other celebrities about how famous they were, which seemed pretty ridiculous. However, it came with the job.

It was a couple of hours before Alec’s interview was due to take place that the two snuck out the backstage door to escape from the crew members and the few paparazzi they allowed inside. They thought they were alone for at least a few minutes. “Sneaking around on sets?” Magnus asked after Alec pulled him outside. “Since when did we get so Hollywood movie?” Alec smiled, pressing Magnus up against the wall, their fingers intertwined.

“My life is a definition of a Hollywood movie, Mags.” Alec spoke, leaning in closer and closer to him. Alec was only slightly taller than Magnus, but it gave him a certain leeway that he liked to take advantage of. “Shall we finish what we started this morning?” Alec teased, pressing his lips to Magnus’, his hand finding his way to his hip. 

“I’m pretty sure this morning would have led to sex, Alexander, and I don’t think that’s appropriate here.” Magnus spoke breaking their kiss, but their lips were still practically touching. 

“Yeah, maybe that’s not the best idea,” Alec let out a small laugh, biting on his lip slightly. Their eyes locked, blue meeting green. Alec could feel the heat from Magnus’ breath tickling his cheeks.

“Well, I’d be all for it, but I respect your classy nature.” Again, Alec laughed.

“Shut up and kiss me,” he spoke, connecting their lips once again. Alec kissed him the only way he knew how, slow and messy and unpractised, but with everything he had.

*****

“So, Alec Lightwood, you were born into quite a name weren’t you?” Owen asked, causing Alec to perform his signature smile and laugh slightly. He was always unsure how to react whenever anyone mentioned that he was born into fame rather than earning it himself. It made him feel like a fake celebrity. “Do you feel a certain pressure trying to live up to your parents?”

“Sometimes it can be quite overwhelming, and I think there will always be a slight pressure. I feel like initially, being the oldest child, that there was a lot of pressure but now it’s kind of spread evenly across the three of us now.” Alec hated talking about his personal life in front of cameras; it was something he’d much prefer to keep to himself. 

“And your birthday is tomorrow, so how’s that going to be spending it in England?” For some reason, they never responded to your answer, they always just bring up a new topic. It was something that Alec loathed about interviews.

“Honestly, I’m quite looking forward to it. Obviously spending twenty-first in America would have been great because I can finally drink legally, but I think spending it here will be okay. My parents are flying over with my siblings tomorrow to spend the night with me, so I’ll be able to spend it with people who are special to me.” Unconsciously, Alec looked over to Magnus waiting in the side lines, he could barely see him, but he was smiling. 

“And there’s someone who’s with you for this whole trip, correct?”

“Erm, yes. My best friend, Magnus flew over with me.” Alec did not know where they were going with this and he did not like it. 

“We had a picture sent in to us a couple of hours ago and we’d like to address it with you.” Alec’s heart started beating faster and faster. 

“Where’s this going?” He asked. They had discussed the majority of the interview with him beforehand and had not mentioned anything to do with Magnus, and Alec had a bad feeling. Before Alec could question them further, Owen pressed a button on a remote that brought up a picture of him and Magnus kissing on the screen behind them. Most of the audience gasped, and Alec would have too if he hadn’t been so shocked and felt quite betrayed.

“That’s you and Magnus outside the studio earlier, am I correct?” Alec was speechless. He turned to look at Magnus in the sidelines, a questioning look on his face: shall I do this? It asked. Magnus, knowing his boyfriend inside out nodded, and Alec nodded back.

“Yes.” He spoke, and with one simple word, the secret he’d been keeping from the world for over a year had finally come out. “However, before I say anything more on that subject, I would like you to know something. I don’t know if you’ve heard of this concept in England, but in America we have something called privacy. Yes, it’s hard to have a private life away from the cameras when you’re famous, but I’ve managed to do that for a year and a half now. You have just done something that I should have been the one to do, and by doing so have lost my respect for you as decent human beings.” Alec called feel the anger rising in his chest. “If you have any respect for other people, you would have consulted me about this first, but you did not. So, yes, I have a boyfriend which yes means I’m gay, but that should have been my story to tell.”

“We’re sorry,” Leslie spoke, but Alec didn’t feel as though she meant it. 

“Save it. You don’t even know the reason behind me hiding my sexuality all these years, and by outing me on live television, you could have just ended the relationship I have with my parents, so thank you for being so insensitive to other people’s feelings.” With that, Alec stood and walked off the set of the interview. He was there to talk about his film and somehow ended up on a subject he was not prepared to talk about. Yes, he could have denied it, but the evidence was clear and right in front of him, he hardly had a choice.

“Alec,” Magnus spoke as he approached him. Alec said nothing, just took hold on Magnus hand and led him out of the studio. Together, they went back to their hotel, in which Alec took a very, very long shower before heading to work that afternoon. Magnus had tried to talk to him, but once Alec explained that he did not feel like talking and he would like to be on his own, Magnus understood and took a step back. That was why Alec loved him.

*****

Alec was feeling in a better mood the next day, simply because he had not had any angry calls from his parents about the interview, which hopefully means they have not seen it. However, his parents had failed to call him at all that day, which could also mean they have seen it and are refusing to talk to him. However, his sister assured him that they will be at the meal tonight, so it put Alec’s mind at rest.

He and Magnus had not yet spoke about the events that occurred on live television, but Alec knew he would have to talk to someone soon. The two arrived at the restaurant only to be greeted by his mother and father almost instantly.

“Alec, darling, it’s so good to see you!” Alec’s mother, Maryse, pulled him into a loving hug, squeezing him so tight he thought he’d break. His mother was happy to see him, which meant she hadn’t seen yesterday morning’s performance on the television. Alec’s heart relieved the tension, and he allowed himself to breathe for the time being. After pulling away from his mom, his father, Robert, also pulled Alec into a hug. 

“Hi guys,” Alec greeted after the hugging. “You remember Magnus, right?” Alec said, pointing in the direction of his boyfriend. His family had met Magnus many times because prior to their relationship they were really good friends, his parents still just thought they were good friends. They exchanged greetings and stuck with small talk until Alec’s siblings decided to show up. They were all meeting at the restaurant, and Alec had presumed that Jace and Izzy would be coming with his parents but apparently not. Isabelle was probably not ready on time, as usual.

“Alec!” It was his brothers voice that snapped Alec out of his thoughts. He hadn’t really been listening to the conversation Magnus was making, he was freaking out about telling his parents. He didn’t even have Magnus’ hand to hold in comfort. 

“Jace!” He spoke, breaking away from the group to embrace his brother. After holding the hug for what felt like minutes, they finally broke away, all smiles and happy faces. Finally he hugged his little sister, whispering that he’d missed her in her ear and she said it back. Finally, Alec hugged Clary, Jace’s girlfriend. “I’ve missed you guys so much,” Alec spoke as they walked back over to his parents and Magnus. 

“Happy birthday, buddy.” Jace spoke, patting Alec on his back. “How does it feel to be twenty-one?”

“Legal,” Alec joked, knowing that as soon as he returned to his homeland, he would be able to drink legally. Their laughter died down after receiving a disappointed look from their parents. “Shall we sit?” Alec spoke, attempting to cut the tension. They all sat at the table Alec had booked, as it was his birthday, he got the choice of restaurant. 

A waiter was almost instantly at their table asking around for drinks. “Hey, Magnus,” Alec spoke, turning to face him properly. He almost went to put his hand on his leg but just about stopped himself. “What’s that drink you like?” The waiter had turned to Alec asking for a drink now, though he never seemed to know what to order.

“Martini and lemonade?” 

“Yes, we’ll both have one please,” the waiter nodded, jotting down the last of the drinks before making a swift exit. The restaurant was not too crowded, though it never usually was. Alec and Magnus and chosen this place to try and keep up their regular date night, and figured it was discreet enough for them not to be followed.

“I weren’t aware you drank alcohol, Alec,” he mother said, the accusation sounded bitter on her tongue. Alec’s parents were never strictly religious, they both just tended to have a lot of negative beliefs that often people tied to religion. They are basically big believers in certain subjects without the label of religion. For example, they hated alcohol, drugs or anything to do with the party lifestyle, however they tend to keep that one to themselves as they raised three actors in twenty-first century New York.

“I don’t, often,” he lied. Because these days most the things he told his parents were lies. Ever since meeting Magnus and losing his little brother two years ago, Alec had found comfort in alcohol and partying, not that his parents ever needed to know some of the states he managed to get himself into. If it wasn’t for Magnus, sometimes Alec believes he would end up half dead on the streets somewhere. The Upper East Side of New York can to that to a person. “It’s a special occasion, mom,” Alec spoke, and reaching his hand over to Magnus’ under the table for some support. His mother never said anything else, just simply gave him a disappointed look and went to talk to his other siblings.

They were on their starters before Alec plucked up the courage to tell his parents what he needed to. His mother asked him if there was anything wrong when he nervously played with his food; something his mother knew was a bad habit of his. He initially shrugged it off, and a gentle squeeze on the leg from Magnus let him know that he could tell them in his own time. By the time they had all finished their starters and were waiting for their main courses, Alec had rehearsed his speech a thousand times in his head. 

“Mom, Dad,” he spoke, the words coming out faster and more desperate than he planned. They both stopped their conversation with Clary, who was talking about the new TV show she managed to land. “Sorry,” he apologised more to Clary than his parents. “There’s something I need to tell you.” His heart was now beating at an alarmingly fast rate. He reached over to grab Magnus’ hand in comfort but it did nothing to ease his anxiety. 

Go on then, son,” his father said. Alec almost cringed at the word ‘son’, knowing that his parents will not want to associate with him after the news. He looked around the table, Jace and Izzy knew exactly what he wanted to say, and gave him an encouraging nod. Magnus squeezed his hand in support, again. 

“Well, th-there’s a reason I bought Magnus along tonight,” he paused, forgetting the speech he had just rehearsed over and over. “Me and Magnus are more than just friends now, h-he’s, erm, my boyfriend.” Alec almost choked on his own words. He looked up from the table to look at his parents’ faces, and judging by their expressions he regretted saying anything. He could not even tell if they were upset, angry, disappointed?

“Okay,” his mother spoke, quietly and slowly, like she was having difficulty processing the whole situation. As for his dad, he just shook his head at Alec. “We’re going to finish this meal and talk about this later,” his mother was surprisingly calm at the moment. 

“No,” Alec said, more anger coming through in his tone than his initial intent. “You can’t just brush me off like that. I want to know what you have to say.”

“Okay, you want to hear it?” Alec nodded, despite his brain telling him different. He did not want to hear what a disappointment of a son he was. “We’re going to finish this meal nicely,” Alec could sense the anger now rising in her voice. “Then, you’ll go back to your hotel and we’ll go back to ours. Tomorrow morning we will fly back to New York. When you return, you’ll pack up your stuff and you’ll get out.”

“Wait, what?” He had heard wrong, surely? He always knew his parents would not accept it, but he never suspected they’d kick him out of their home – his home. He felt his heart flutter, his breathing hitch, his eyes fill with water. “You’re kicking me out?” He spoke, his voice almost catching in his throat.

“This behaviour, Alexander,” Alec flinched at his full name, now he knew he definitely disappointed them. “is a disgrace. You can come home when you’re over it.”

“A disgrace? Wow.” Alec was trying his hardest to not let the tears flow from his eyes. Looking over at his sister, he could see she was doing the same. “I-i knew you would,” his words kept catching in his mouth, the stutter he had growing up making a grand return. “n-not accept me, but I-i d-didn’t think you would d-disown me. I’m your son,” a single tear escaped his eye and Alec quickly wiped it away. “You’re supposed love me unconditionally. There’s not supposed a limit to the love you feel for your children,” Alec could not stop crying at this point. He nodded in defeat, standing up and walking over to Isabelle and giving her a hug. “I’ll see you when I come back,” he spoke in her ear. 

“You’re leaving?” She was crying now too, leaving tear stains on Alec’s leather jacket. He nodded into her, hugging her tighter than he ever had before. “I love you, Alec. I will always love you, no matter what,” Izzy put emphasis on the end of her sentence making sure their parents could hear. 

“I love you too, Izzy.” Jace stood, wrapping his arms around the two of them, squashing Alec between them. He, too, spoke those words of love, and for the first time in years, Alec saw Jace cry too. When they finally pulled away, Clary was standing waiting for a hug too. Their hug was quicker and not so sentimental, but it meant a lot to the both of them. Finally, he went back over to Magnus.

“Can we go, please?” Alec asked, though Magnus had already pulled his coat on and dropped his share of the meal in front of his parents, despite only getting as far as a starter. 

“Of course,” he spoke, his voice softer than what it was in the mornings. Magnus stood, and wiped away Alec’s tears from his cheeks. Alec smiled despite the tears falling from his eyes. Magnus took his hand, and Alec took one look at his siblings and smiled before following Magnus out the restaurant. He did not dare look at his parents.

He did not know exactly where they were going. Alec had sent his driver home for the night and told him to finish early, saying they’ll get a taxi home. But right now, Alec did not exactly feel like going home. He wanted to take a walk with Magnus by his side, even if they did not speak. “Alec, where are we going?” Magnus spoke, squeezing on Alec’s hand slightly. They had been walking aimlessly around London for approximately half an hour before Magnus decided to speak. 

“I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “You know, I’ve never been good enough for them.” Alec spoke, finally deciding to confess something to Magnus he probably should have a long time ago. Every day, Alec and Magnus shared things about each other, and found out new things, it was their way of getting to know every inch of each other slowly but surely. Alec had rarely spoken to Magnus about his family, and for good reason, but it was time he knew.

“What do you mean? How could you not be good enough?”

“Over the past couple of years, when the fame really started kicking off for me, Jace and Izzy, they always acted different around me. If I won an award they would say ‘congratulations’ and ‘well done’, but Jace and Izzy it would always be ‘I’m proud of you, you earned it’. And if I didn’t win an award I was nominated for its ‘you should have tried harder’ or ‘you should have acted better’, but for them its ‘it’s okay, you tried your best, it’s not the end of the world’. I’ve been treated differently for a couple of years and I know why.” Alec paused. What he was about to tell Magnus, he hadn’t even confided in with his siblings. This is something that has been eating away at Alec for two years.

“Alexander?” Magnus spoke, encouraging Alec to speak but not pushing him into saying anything he did not want to. 

“Two years ago today, as you know, I lost my little brother Max.” Magnus stayed quiet and let him speak. “What you don’t know is how Max died.” Alec and Magnus had only recently met when Alec lost Max, and Alec was never ready to talk about him to anyone. “I took him to his favourite ice cream shop in New York, it was a tradition we made. On his birthday or mine we would go. It was on the way back that the incident happened. A car had crashed into me from behind, and because there was ice on the road it sent my car into the middle of the junction. I tried to move out the way but the car just slipped, and before I knew there was a lorry heading straight towards us. Because of the ice it could not stop, and I just reached over and grabbed Max, shielding him with my entire body.

Next thing I knew I was cradling his dead body after managing to drag him out. I think my parents always blamed me, well, so do I. But they never got over it, and they started treating me differently. Last year, they never made it to my birthday, the first anniversary of his death. I spent the day at his grave, just staring, and talking to him, apologizing.” Alec was crying again now. They had found a bench to sit down.

“I didn’t know how badly losing him affected you.” Magnus spoke, failing to wipe away some of Alec’s tears. 

“I don’t like to talk about him, and I think about him every day though I try not to. Max was the light of my life. The little brother I was always supposed to protect and I failed.” For a while, Magnus just held Alec, letting him cry and let out his emotion. It was something that Alec did not do often. 

“Come on, let’s go home.” So, they did. Alec had felt a weight being lifted of his shoulder after finally confiding in someone about Max, and he could not have been happier that it was Magnus.


	11. No one can break your heart quite like a friend.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jace is stuck choosing between the love of his life or the boy he promised his soul too, one of them shall die. When Jace picks Clary to live, and Alec somehow manages to escape his death sentence, he goes to Magnus, who somehow manages to heal his broken heart.

“It’s up to you, Jace,” The Vampire’s voice spoke over the waves crashing against the ship. Usually Alec felt sea sickness, but he could hardly think about that with a Seraph blade to his throat. Jace was refusing to look at him, despite trying to catch his attention; his gaze was on Clary who was unfortunately in the same position. “Your parabatai or your girlfriend?” Alec has had many weapons held to his throat before, and was smart enough to know how the situations usually goes, but this time, he could not call it.

“Jace,” Alec spoke, and when he did, the Shadowhunter holding him hostage pressed the blade closer to this throat, a small trickle of blood rolling down his neck like a tear. “Jace, listen to me,” Jace’s head turned to face Alec for the first time. “I’m your parabatai,” it felt like the blade at his throat was stopping him from being able to speak. “I’m half your soul. I never thought I’d have to beg for my life from you,” because at this point, it felt like Jace truly was going to choose some girl over his brother.

“It’s okay, Alec,” it felt far from okay. Jace turned back to face Clary, nodding to her to let her know everything was going to be okay. Then, finally he turned to the Vampire who, with only one word, could have Alec’s throat slit and his blood on the floor of the boat, followed shortly by his body. “I’ve made up my mind,” he looked to Alec once again, his golden eyes only saying one thing: I’m sorry.

“And?” Vampires don’t often have much patience, especially when the sun would rise in just under an hour. 

“I choose Clary.” There. He said it. There was no hesitation in his voice, no sorrow or pain. He had decided to kill his parabatai and it seemed to have no repercussions. Alec felt his heart go heavy in his chest, his eyes fill with tears. Emotions are nothing but a distraction, he was always taught, but that was before his own brother gave him the death sentence. Alec went to speak his name but no sound came out.

The Shadowhunter holding Clary released her, and pushed her in Jace’s direction. The Vampire walked over to Alec, and stroked a finger alongside his jaw bone. “Good choice, I’m going to have fun with this one.” Alec, his entire Shadowhunter training going out of his head, spat in the face of the Vampire. He thought the words ‘bite me’ were a little too much to add considering the circumstances. “I wonder how you’ll come in use,” he said, wiping his face, and sizing Alec up. 

“I don’t care anymore.” Alec spoke, because it was the truth. Jace had given his parabatai up for bait. Alec would normally do anything for Jace, including die, but he’d a least like to have a say in his death. “Kill me, bite me, enslave me like you did the other Shadowhunters.” Alec looked past the vampires and straight into the eyes of his parabatai. “I have nothing left to live for.” If Alec believed that Jace cared even for a second, he would have thought it was hurt that flashed across his face. Of course, it was not true, Alec had his sister and Magnus, but he wanted Jace to feel the sting of his pain.

It was then that the gold flash of a portal appeared behind Jace, and the person who stepped out was none other than Magnus Bane. Relief fluttered throughout his body, he wanted to run and hug him. And he would have, if it had not been for the Seraph blade holding him in place. 

“Magnus Bane, what a surprise,” The Vampire rolled his eyes and spoke in a monotone voice. “What, are you going to kill me now?” The Shadowhunter behind Alec loosened his grip ever so slightly, but it was all Alec needed. He grabbed his arm, pushing the blade away from his throat and twisting it, causing the blade to fall from his hands along with a crunching of bones.

“Kill you? Oh no, I don’t do killing, I find it rather,” Magnus paused to find the right word. “Abrupt,” he settled on. “That’s his job,” Magus spoke, pointing around the Vampire to Alec, now free. He nodded and Alec, and Alec nodded back.

“Kill him,” The Vampire shouted to the Shadowhunter, giving him his order, but now that Alec was free he could easily take him down. Killing his own kind was something Alec had never had to do before; the forsaken from Valentine’s war had stopped being Shadowhunters and became monsters. But this guy, he was a Shadowhunter acting against his own will. If only he could convince him that killing his own kind was wrong. Alec grabbed the dropped Seraph blade and held it out to stop the Shadowhunter in his tracks.

“You don’t have to kill me. I’m a Shadowhunter, like you,” Alec spoke, negotiation had never been his strong point. His back was facing the Vampire, and he could only hope that Jace, Clary or even Magnus would stop him from attacking Alec himself. “This,” Alec gestured. “is not you, we don’t fight our own kind.” Alec kept backing away from the wayward Shadowhunter, hoping to come in line with the Vampire. When he finally did, Alec made no hesitation to force the blade into his stomach, killing him almost instantly.

It was then that the Encanto curse seemed to lift on all the other Shadowhunters, who seemed to have no idea who or where they were. Alec dropped the Seraph blade and turned to look at Jace.

“Thanks for the one man battle,” he spoke, Jace looked to have tears in his eyes but Alec refused to fall for the act. Alec rarely fought alone, he always had his parabatai by his side. Magnus stepped forward and grabbed hold of Alec’s hand. Magnus had no words he could say to Alec right now that would make him feel better, so he simply stayed quiet. “Take me home, Magnus. I want to go home,” and by home he did not mean the loft that he and Magnus now shared, he meant the Institute, so he could see his sister. “I need to see my sister.”

Without another word from anyone, Magnus drew up the portal and Alec was the first through. He thought of the Institute and soon he was there. Alec had been landed in the library, the place he used to be able to find solitude when he did not feel like seeing anyone, but right now, he needed Isabelle. Magnus followed shortly behind, and Alec jolted into a sprint, out of the library and checking all over the Institute for his sister.

“Isabelle?” He ran to her room first, but she was not there. “Izzy?” He shouted again, hoping she would hear him and come find him. She did not, he eventually find her in the training room sparring with another Shadowhunter. “Izzy,” Alec spoke, his voice barely a whisper, his lungs desperate for air. 

“Alec, what’s wrong?” Izzy asked, seeing her exasperated brother. Her whip instantly coiled around her wrist, and she took a few steps to reach him, and as soon as she was close enough Alec pulled her into a hug. They just stood there for a moment, no words passing between them. Isabelle did not ask what was wrong, she knew in time that Alec would tell her. That’s the beauty of their relationship, they could always go to each other, and the other would never push them to tell what was going on.

When they finally pulled away, the look they shared meant Alec wanted to tell her something. Isabelle told the other Shadowhunter that training was over, and the two walked to Alec’s room, a place he had not needed to go back to in a while. 

“Why is my bed slept in?” He asked as they walked in. They both sat down on the bed facing each other. Isabelle smiled and shook her head, as though the answer was stupid.

“I sometimes sleep in here, I miss having you around, Alec,” and suddenly, Alec felt a pang in his chest that he had so easily brushed off his little sister earlier. For a long time, Isabelle was all Alec had and vice versa.

 

“I’ve lost Jace, Izzy,” Isabelle’s face went from worry, to heartbreak in a moment. She knew that he did not literally mean losing Jace as in death, but in some other way. “He chose Clary over me, and- I- I can feel the distance between us growing through our bond.” Before, Alec had somehow managed to tame his emotions, but now, hot tears began to slowly roll of his eyes. “It’s like he’s not even there anymore.” Isabelle was doing all she could to hold back her own tears.

“Alec,” she spoke soft and tender, lifting a hand up to his cheek to wipe away the tears. He wanted some kind of pep talk, telling him that he was being ridiculous about Jace and that there bond was stronger than ever, but no words seemed to come out of her mouth. Like him, she was baffled for words. She pulled him into a hug and let his tears flow down onto her shoulder. They stayed like that for what felt like hours but could only have been a few minutes before they were interrupted by Magnus who came to sit down next to him. 

“I thought I’d give you a bit of space first,” Alec turned to look at him, the man he so desperately loved, and even though he wanted to smile he could not cover the pain he felt. 

“Thank you.” Alec’s name rang through the Institute; it was Jace. In an instant, Izzy was standing like she was ready to pounce. She turned to Alec and kissed him on the cheek, reassuring him that everything will be okay and stalked out the room to find Jace. Alec could only hope Jace was prepared for the wrath he was about to face. “How did you know where I was?” Alec asked, finally getting over the tears, though his breathing still hitched slightly.

“Magic, my darling, not even you are immune to it,” Magnus’ voice was so soft, like he feared that if he spoke any louder Alec would break. He gently touched Alec’s nose, causing a smile to appear on his face before Alec fought it off. “Do smile,” Magnus spoke, “it makes you look all the more beautiful.”

“My parabatai betrayed me, Magnus.”

“I know. But listen to me, Alexander. You’re entire life you have been living in Jace’s shadow, maybe this is your cue to break free.” Instantly, Alec shook his head. “I’m not saying cut him off, I know how much he means to you and I know eventually you’ll forgive him for this because that is who you are as a person. You are kind, and loyal, and forgiving, and I love you,” there was no hesitation in his voice, and again Alec smiled, though this time he felt no guilt. 

“But, I don’t understand. Clary may be Jace’s heart but I am his soul, we are knitted together as one and he chose her,” Alec knew how this sounded coming from his mouth, that he would choose Jace over Magnus if put in the same scenario. Though, Alec would try his best to get both out alive, and also hoped that Jace is not as stupid as he is to manage to get a Seraph Blade to his throat. Also, Magnus is magic which pretty much means that Alec would never be in that situation, and he let out a breath of relief he hadn’t realised he’d be holding. 

“I don’t think you really know who you’d pick until given the choice yourself.”

“You’re right,” Alec spoke, and a smug look appeared on Magnus’ face making him wish he’d never said it. “Come to think of it, I’d choose you, I’d always choose you, but I have my reasons.” Magnus gestured for him to go on. “I’d choose you because I love you more than anything in the world, but I also know Jace would not go down without a fight. Jace probably thought the same about me, but there’s a difference between what he did and what I would have done. As soon as Jace was free, I’d help him take down the enemy. Jace was in perfect position to kill that Vampire today but instead let me do it even though I had my back to him. I was in a severely vulnerable position and it just so happened that it worked out for me, but I would never leave him alone in the field like that.”

“That’s why I’ve always preferred you,” Magnus spoke, a smile laying on his lips as he leaned in to kiss Alec. It was small and tender, but it was everything Alec needed. 

“I love you, so much,” Alec spoke, leaning in to kiss Magnus and pushing him down onto the bed.

“And I love you, my angel,” Magnus spoke, reconnecting their lips.


End file.
